


Winters Can be Lonely

by verfound



Series: Winters 'Verse [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Accidental Plot, Aphrodisiacs, Damned Fae Magic, Did I get everything?, Double Dicks, Endgame Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Exophilia, F/M, Fae Magic, Fae!Rose, Fantasy AU, Hemipenes, How Do I Tag, Interspecies Relationship(s), Interspecies Sex, Interspecies misunderstandings, Masturbation, Minor Juleka Couffaine/Rose Lavillant, Naga AU, Oral Sex, Porn With Plot, Prompt Fic, Snakefolk can't bone in winter, Witch AU, Witch!Marinette, birthday fic, but he tries his best, naga sex, naga!luka, snake sex, two Dicks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:34:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 26,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25635136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/verfound/pseuds/verfound
Summary: Winters can get lonely when your naga mate is deep in his brumation and sleeping most of the time.  Not that Marinette would ever admit her sister-in-law was right about that.  Luka was fine.  She was fine.  They were…fine.
Relationships: Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: Winters 'Verse [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2059803
Comments: 29
Kudos: 221





	1. Part One

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Bloody_no_Kissu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bloody_no_Kissu/gifts), [semi_slaughtomatic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/semi_slaughtomatic/gifts).



> This started as a simple little prompt from Bloody back in like May or June, and then it got back-burnered while I finished up the Loops. I wanted to try and finish it for her birthday, and then Skye let it slip that she forgot to tell us about HER birthday, so it kinda became a fic for both of them. xD Skye just wanted “more of that sweet, sweet Lukanette content”, so I hope this meets that criteria, babes. xD It kinda ran away from me. Look for Part 2 on Sunday, and Part 3 will hopefully be shortly after. Bloody’s prompt is below. But yeah. This was supposed to be a simple PWP, but then PLOT got involved.
> 
> (Also I have no idea what I’m doing with the tags I have NEVER written something like this please tell me if I missed something >< )
> 
> Bloody’s Prompt:
> 
> Witch! Marinette and her familiar Naga! Luka  
> In winter is where marinette feel most alone, her powers are weak, no a lot of people of the Town near her house come to visit bc the travel for the forest in winter can be dangerous, her creativiti just died and the worse of all is that luka, her belove familiar, hibernate...  
> She really feel alone, so alone that she end up touching herself in luka nest :3c  
> She miss his hand touching her, his kisses, and the lot of way that he fuck her (bc yeah, double dick)  
> When she finish it, she felt a bit guilty, but then luka move, and marinette almost scream when his tail grab her, and a very sleepy luka looks at her with a smile  
> "you still need a bit more of help?"  
> The answer is yes owo  
> He may or may not end up fall sleep again in mid of it but that is another story maybe lol

“Soooo…” Rose giggled, her eyes sliding to the back corner of the room. Last winter, Marinette had hung some thick curtains up to block off the space from the rest of the cottage. There were a few benefits to this: they helped keep the warmth in, they kept the light out, and they kept her slumbering naga mate hidden from unwanted wandering eyes. Of course, when she had first hung the curtains, Luka hadn’t actually been her _mate_ yet. That had come after the first brumation (hers, not his, because he had seen many winters by the time they had met), or maybe during. The actual mating had happened after, at least, even if steps towards it had happened during that first winter. Maybe a bit before.

…nagas were _weird_ , and Marinette had really only known Luka a little under two cycles. There was still a lot she had to learn about the ways of the snakefolk.

“…nette?” Rose asked, making the young witch jump. Marinette blinked at her, shaking her head, and the fae giggled. She leaned forward, her chin propped on her hands, and smiled. Her features were more angular than Marinette’s and always gave her a mischievous look. “Snake got your tongue?”

“W-what?” Marinette squeaked, and Rose giggled again. Marinette felt her face warm as her eyes darted back to Luka’s hidden nest. It was getting late, and she prayed he was in a deep enough sleep that he hadn’t heard their guest.

“I asked how Luka was,” Rose said innocently. She reached for her tea, dropping another sugar cube into it and stirring. Marinette wondered if she actually needed the extra sweetness or if she was just trying to play coy, but the fae had always been fond of _sweet things_. Luka may have been the first naga Marinette had ever met, but Rose certainly hadn’t been the first fae. “This winter’s been…unseasonably warm. Juleka’s been quite restless, poor thing. I was simply wondering if Luka has expressed similar…difficulties.”

“He’s been fine,” she said, maybe a little too quickly. Rose hummed and sipped her tea, and Marinette shifted uneasily in her seat. She tightened her shawl around her, avoiding Rose’s knowing smile as she fidgeted. Rose had been with Juleka much longer than Marinette had been with Luka. This wasn’t their first winter together, either, and she tended to understand things better than she let on.

“And have you?” she pressed, making Marinette look back to her. “Been fine, I mean?”

“…of course,” Marinette huffed. “Winter is…slow. People stay inside more, and the Forest gets more restless. Whatever’s not sleeping tends to come closer to the village, with food being so scarce. So the villagers stay away, and I have plenty of time to work on my spells, and…”

“…Luka sleeps most of the day away, and you get lonely, and that makes you temperamental, and you snap at your poor sister who’s only trying to help,” Rose sniffed, sipping her tea. Marinette’s jaw dropped, and Rose giggled again. She reached over and patted her hand. “I’m only teasing. I understand, Mari. I get lonely, too.”

“…Luka’s right over there,” Marinette huffed, gesturing towards his nest. “I’m not lonely.”

“Luka is half-asleep even when he’s awake, and the brumation keeps his blood running slow enough that he couldn’t get them up even if you sat wet and wanting over his sheath,” Rose huffed, leaning back in her chair. She snatched up another sugar cube, but after glancing into her mostly-empty cup she popped it straight into her mouth instead. Rose’s knowing eyes slid back over to Marinette, narrowing in satisfaction when she saw her gaping mouth and blushing cheeks. Luka hadn’t been Marinette’s first sexual experience, but the fae had always been more… _comfortable_ with such things than the young witch had ever been. Such a comment was commonplace for Rose, but for Marinette it was outright _brazen_. “Do not tell me you aren’t _lonely_ , Marinette. I’m plenty lonely myself, and Juleka’s been more active than she normally is this winter.”

“…you also don’t live tucked up against the mountains, and the snows never hit you as hard,” Marinette said, trying not to grumble as she sank in her chair. Rose smiled, draining the last of her tea. “We’re fine. _I’m_ fine. I was fine last winter, and I’ll be fine this winter, too. Spring will be here soon enough.”

“You also weren’t mated last winter,” Rose hummed. Marinette bristled, and Rose raised her hand as she put her cup down. “Peace, sister. I simply meant that it’s easier to be fine when you don’t have anything to miss.”

“…I missed Luka plenty last winter,” Marinette grumbled. “It’s part of why I built him a nest here in that corner. I wanted him close by.”

Rose smirked at that, recalling the debacle that _Marinette building Luka a nest_ had been. She had been livid with Luka at the time, but looking back the misunderstanding had been kind of sweet. Adorable. To someone who had been living amongst the snakefolk most of her adult life – and therefor knew full well what such gestures implied – it was downright hilarious.

“So you could still reach him, even if the snows were deep,” Rose said instead, choosing to be diplomatic instead of teasing. Marinette was already ruffled enough. “I remember. I also remember you only stayed in your bed a week before you discovered naga nests make for much better sleeping arrangements.”

“Is there a point to all this?” Marinette groaned, leaning forward onto the table and burying her head in her arms. She heard Rose giggling again and felt her hand on her arm.

“Just a friendly reminder to take care of yourself,” Rose said. Marinette peeked out of her hiding place as Rose stood. She plucked her violet cloak, the same shade as Juleka’s scales, off the back of her chair and wrapped it around her shoulders. When she saw Marinette watching her, she reached over and patted her head. “Winter can be rough, not just on them but us as well. You won’t want to see his reaction if he comes out of his brumation and finds you’ve been neglecting yourself.”

She paused by the door, her lips quirking in a wry smile.

“…or maybe you do,” she teased, tossing her a wink before she opened the door. A cold wind blew in from outside, guttering the fire and making Marinette pull her shawl closer around her shoulders. Rose blew her a kiss, and then the door was closed and the fae was gone. Marinette snorted, her eyes sliding back to the curtains concealing Luka’s nest. He was fine. _She_ was fine. What did Rose know, anyway?

Her tea was a little over half-gone and already turning cold. Marinette sighed and pushed the cup away, suddenly no longer interested in the drink. The cottage was quiet now that Rose was gone. She could hear the wind howling outside, but the sound was distant and muted. The fire crackled in the grate, burning low. She tossed in another log, hugging her shawl closer as she listened to it hiss and pop. If she closed her eyes, she could almost imagine the shawl was Luka, wrapping her in his embrace and holding her close. She heard a shuffling behind her, and she bit her lip as she glanced back at the nest.

…it was late enough, and it wasn’t like she was terribly _busy_ at the moment. Whatever spells she had to work on could be put off till morning. Besides, now that Rose had put the thought in her head – now that Rose had left her alone with said thought – Marinette could maybe, _possibly_ admit that she was right.

Marinette _was_ …lonely.

Not that she’d ever let Rose know she was right, of course.

With one more log added to the fire – enough to keep the cottage warm for the night – she shuttered the lamp and made her way back to the nest. Rose had been right about that, too: naga nests did make for much better sleeping arrangements than the little cubby she’d been using before. She wasn’t a very large person, after all, and the small space she’d bundled with blankets and pillows had been all she’d needed at the time. Luka, however, was much larger. His tail alone stretched a good twenty feet when fully extended, though he typically slept in a coiled bundle – except for the summer days he would nap along the riverbed, stretching his tail along the rocks to soak up as much sun as possible. That was how she had first found him, back when she’d first moved to the quiet village on the edge of the Enchanted Forest. He had just come out of his brumation – not that she had known that at the time – and had been taking full advantage of the first nice day of the season.

He had been absolutely mesmerizing, the mint scales of his underbelly glistening in the sun as his human half hung upside-down above the water. She had been so distracted by the sight of him that she hadn’t noticed the venomous creature gliding towards her submerged ankles in the river until Luka had lunged. That had been the only time she had ever felt fear towards him, at the time thinking he was attacking her instead of saving her from the real threat. The next thing she’d known, he had scooped her up in his arms as he flicked the creature away with his tail, cradling her close as he watched her in concern. He had been even more… _mesmerizing_ up close.

He was still mesmerizing, she thought as she drew the curtain back. His teal scales glinted gold in the firelight, his tail stretched out in a loose coil that filled the nest. Really, the _nest_ was no more than a depression in the floor, lined with large, smooth rocks from the river and covered with blankets and pillows she had sewn with a special charm. Like her shawl, they had been enchanted to keep their user warm. Luka had marveled at her handiwork the first time she had draped one of the blankets over his shoulders, his eyes dancing with delight as he’d turned towards her.

…much as they were dancing now, she realized as she caught him watching her. His arms were folded over one of the rocks, his cheek pillowed against them. A sleepy smile curled his lips, his dark eyes closing once he’d caught her eye. He raised a hand towards her, his fingers wiggling in an open invitation. He sighed as she took his hand, lacing their fingers together and squeezing.

“Ma-Ma-Marinette…” he breathed, a gentle hiss escaping him as he rolled onto his back and tugged on her arm. She giggled as the tip of his tail slithered over the rocks to caress the back of her legs. “Come to bed, my mousssssse…”

She rolled her eyes at his nickname for her (he thought it was adorable, the way she startled as easily as a mouse; she thought it was annoying), but lowered herself into the nest all the same.

“You’ve been in bed all day, you silly snake,” she chided gently. He hummed, his arm wrapping around her and pulling her closer.

“Cold today,” he sighed. “Cold every day.”

Well. Yes. It was the dead of winter. Even if it had been slightly warmer, even if the snows hadn’t been as bad, it was still winter. It was still cold.

“Warmer now,” he said, cracking an eye open to smile at her. She laughed and leaned up, kissing the underside of his jaw. He whined and slid an arm under her ass, hauling her on top of him. She squeaked at the sudden movement, and she felt him smile as he pulled her down and pressed his mouth to her own. “…Mousssssssinette.”

She groaned and pushed against him, but her gown was tangled around her legs and between the fabric and his smooth scales she couldn’t find purchase. She fell back against him, and he smiled as he wrapped his arms around her and held her there.

“Mine,” he murmured, a soft hiss escaping him as he booped his chin against the crown of her head. Her heart fluttered in her chest at the familiar gesture, and she found her hands fisting against his chest. “Ssssstay. Sssssssleeep.”

He shifted beneath her, his tail sliding between her legs as he nestled them deeper in his coils. Her breath hitched, her thighs once again trying – and failing – to grip him, but when she looked back at his face his eyes were closed again. His breathing was low and even, and she doubted he noticed how he was affecting her.

“Oh, not fair, Luka…” she whined softly, pressing her face against his chest. Rose’s words danced mockingly in her mind – _winter can be rough, not just on them but us as well_ – and she squirmed in an attempt to make herself more comfortable. With a heavy sigh, she wrapped her arms around him, rested her cheek over his heart, and tried to get some sleep.

– V –

_Tried_ was the operative word.

Whatever sleep Marinette managed to get was restless at best, plagued by dreams of teasing touches and glowing eyes. Memories of lazy summer afternoons by the river, a lazier smile grinning down at her as her mate rocked against her.

Her sleep, if it could be called that, was feverish at best as a heat curled in her belly. Rose’s words echoed through her dreams, a mocking taunt above the memory of babbling water, of gasped breaths, of pleading moans…

_“Do not tell me you aren’t_ lonely… _winter can be rough…”_

Marinette _tried_ to get some sleep.

The desire coursing through her – the aching want, the _need_ that found her tossing and turning most of the night – made that damn near impossible.

– V –

When next she woke, she was on her back, her ass nestled against the dip of Luka’s hips, and her legs spread on either side of his tail. His arms were still wrapped loosely around her middle, and his face was nestled against the crook of her neck. She felt the tip of his tail, slowly twitching as it often did when he was deep in slumber, wrapped around one of her legs and brushing teasingly against her skin. It took her a few moments to get her bearings, her mind still hazy from the latest dream.

And oh, what a dream it had been. The conversation with Rose earlier and Luka’s teasing kiss had transported her mind to warmer times, when they had enjoyed lazy afternoons along the river. When he would lay her against the sun-soaked rocks, his head nestled between her thighs as his tongue lapped at her, slowly winding her tighter and tighter until at last she’d collapse against him, thoroughly spent. How he would coil around her, his strong tail lifting her until she was just where he’d wanted her – where he could sink her onto one of his aching cocks – or both, when the lust made him rushed and careless and her aching and wanting – stretching her and filling her completely. The look in his eyes, his elongated pupils blown despite the bright summer sun, as he watched her move over him, building his pleasure even as she took her own. The heated kisses, the loving nips, the feeling of absolute safety and trust. The humans never ventured so far into the woods, and whatever else was living there knew not to enter the naga’s territory. Laying back, thoroughly sated, stretched over his tail as he held her close and they basked in the sun, naked as the day she was born.

She had awoken feeling…stifled, and she wasn’t sure the heat she felt was solely from the fire or the enchanted blankets she had huffily kicked aside upon waking. Luka murmured in his sleep, shifting beneath her, and the feeling of his scales sliding against her skin, the ridges of his underbelly rubbing against her core, was enough to draw a low moan from her lips. Desire flooded her, pooling low in her belly and clouding her senses. Her hands came up to lay over his, pressing them against her stomach. She squirmed, trying to relieve some of the pressure that had begun building inside her by rubbing against him, her head falling back against his shoulder. It wasn’t enough, and, in this state, she knew it never would be.

It wasn’t Luka’s fault. It was just a natural part of who – of what – he was. Snakefolk, like their animal counterparts, were subject to a yearly brumation once the weather turned cold. They did not fully sleep as some mammals did, but their bodies slowed most everything down in an effort to conserve energy. He still had his moments of wakefulness, but he slept most of the day, and what time he wasn’t sleeping was lethargic anyway. He did not eat, he did not hunt, and he usually didn’t venture far from his nest. His heart – all of his organs, really – slowed, which meant the flow of his blood slowed, which meant (as Rose had alluded to earlier) even if he wanted to he was unable to become fully aroused.

(…which he more than made up for, she recalled with a smile. He had entered a heat not long after coming out of his last brumation, and it had been another few days before they had been able to leave his nest, though for an entirely different reason than before. It had been the first time they’d mated, his dreams throughout his slumber plagued by visions of her and his control upon waking tenuous at best. She hadn’t really been up for complaining, though, especially when he had been up for so many other things instead.)

Her eyes slid to his slumbering face, and she pulled her lower lip between her teeth as she shifted again. Her nightgown had bunched up due to her movements, but her underwear still presented a thin barrier between them. She wanted them gone, wanted nothing more than to feel his cool scales against her heated flesh. She was boiling, and he was so cold. Her thighs pressed against the sides of his tail at that thought, her hips rocking slightly to rut against him.

_“…take care of yourself. You won’t want to see his reaction if he comes out of his brumation and finds you’ve been neglecting yourself…or maybe you do…”_

Rose was right: maybe she did. Or maybe she wanted to see his reaction if he came out of it to find her _not_ neglecting herself in his arms.

Her hand lifted up to thread her fingers through his hair, curving around the back of his head and holding him in place. His breath tickled her neck, and she imagined his tongue darting out to lick at the exposed skin as she continued to slowly rock in place. She imagined his lips curling back, his fangs grazing her skin before lightly biting, and a needy sound escaped her as she ground her ass into him. She knew the spot beneath her, knew the sheath that would swell with his burgeoning cocks had he been awake and active enough to enjoy her. She whimpered as her thighs clenched around him, her toes curling against the coiled tail beneath them as she rolled her hips. It wasn’t enough. She needed…she needed…

The hand still over his own pressed them flat against her stomach before slowly moving down, caressing herself over the fabric of her gown. She curled the fingers still in his hair, scratching lightly at his scalp. Her other hand slipped under her bunched gown, pressing flat against where her underwear covered, before pausing as he shifted beneath her. She bit her lip at the movement, trying to hold in her sounds as she reached down to stroke his underbelly.

She could almost hear him, his teasing voice a gentle hiss in her ear. His tongue would flick against the outer shell before he’d whisper for her to _sing for him,_ to _let him hear her…_ the whimper was panted in a sigh when her hand slid back against him, her hips rolling up so she could tease against her covered entrance. Gods, she was _so hot_ …

Her eyes cracked open, her lip still between her teeth as she glanced at his slumbering face. She angled her head to kiss his cheek as her back pressed against him, as she angled herself just enough to stroke herself over her soaked underwear. While she doubted he would wake any time soon, she didn’t want to chance it by moving too much. They would have to stay on, and with his arms still around her the gown would, too. Blast this heat…

But he needed his sleep, and even if she needed him…

She slipped a finger beneath the fabric, stroking along her slick folds. In her mind, it was his finger, pushing deep inside her before pulling out and flicking at her clit, only to slide back in deeper. Over and over, tiny, teasing gestures, until it wasn’t enough and she was adding a second finger, biting her lip against the needy whimper as she scissored her fingers inside herself. She angled her hips, pressing her ass firmly against him as she arched into her own touch. Her head turned, her lips pressing against his temple as her fingers lightly pulled on his hair. He might have made a noise, or maybe that was her, whimpering as she began pumping with a third finger. Her body was already wound so tight. She could feel her release coming, that edge so close and just out of reach. She thrust deeper, thumbing a harsh circle around her clit, and panted as a tremor shook through her.

She shifted again, raising her hips and sinking lower against him, With the new angle, she was able to hit deeper, and her mouth dropped open on a strangled moan. Something brushed against her nipple, sending a shock of pleasure through her, but though his arms had slid under her breasts she knew it had to be the fabric of her nightgown moving over her skin, one of the buttons shimmied loose with her movements. On her next thrust, her fingertips brushed against that spot deep inside her, and her breath hitched as her eyes popped open. Yes, there…just like…

In the dim light from the fire, slipping in from where she had left the curtains cracked, she could see Luka’s half-lidded eyes glowing down at her. She froze, sure her grip on his hair had to be hurting him, but all he did was smile.

…no. That wasn’t a smile. That was…it may have been in the general shape of a smile, but between the look in his eyes and the curl of his lips there was something all too predatory about his expression to ever call it a _smile_ …

She realized, belatedly, that it wasn’t her nightgown that had moved on her chest. He had popped open the top buttons – and how had he done that without her noticing? – and slid his hand inside, cupping her breast as the claw on his thumb drew light, lazy circles along the stiffened peak. She swallowed thickly, trembling as her fingers stilled inside her, an irrational fear and embarrassment at being caught keeping her from continuing. He bent down and kissed her forehead, then tipped her head back further with a careful claw against her throat so he could capture her lips.

“…not fair, Moussssinette,” he murmured, his voice thick with sleep and desire. He kissed along her jaw, slowly moving down her neck until he could nuzzle his face against her skin. His hand still massaged her breast, but the other had moved, down and down until he could graze his claws along her thigh, up and up until he had covered her hand with his own. His tongue slipped out, gliding along her skin before he gently bit her. She gasped, and he licked the spot again. “Sssssuch a lovely ssssshow. And you would have me ssssssleep through it?”

“You…you needed your rest,” she gasped, her words cutting off with a whine as he squeezed her hand and withdrew her fingers. She gasped again as he sliced a claw through her underwear, tearing them to give him easier access before plunging two fingers inside her. “Lu-Luka!”

“They are unneccccesssssary,” he hissed, licking at her neck again. “And I ressssssted all day. Thissss I prefer to watch…”

She felt his lips curl against her skin. Saw his smile when he nudged her head, encouraging her to turn towards him. Devoured it when he pressed his mouth to her own, kissing her hungrily as he continued to slowly stroke her, the motions torture compared to her steady thrusts from before.

“Or, rather, I prefer to be an active particccccipant,” he whispered when he pulled away. He dropped a fleeting kiss on the corner of her lips and smiled down at her. “If you’d be sssso kind.”

“I’m so close, Luka,” she whispered, her leg shifting against him and pulling him in deeper. He crooked his fingers insider her, the pads pressing against her walls and stroking firmly. “Gods, yes…right there…”

“I know you, Marinette,” he murmured sleepily against her skin. His thumb flicked against her clit as his fingers pushed deeper, hitting her just right and drawing a keening whine from her. “My favorite sssssnack. I know jusssst how to make you ssssing.”

“If I didn’t need you so badly I would slap you for that,” she laughed breathlessly, her back arching when he withdraw his hand enough to prick a teasing claw against her inner thigh. She moaned and sank back against him, her ass grinding against his closed slit and drawing his own strangled moan from his throat.

“Not fair,” he whispered, his tongue flicking at her again. “Gods, I need to be insssside you…”

“Tongue?” she panted, turning her head to kiss him. She could see him trying to raise his eyebrows, but the half-asleep expression he shot her instead only made her laugh. She kissed him again, a sudden brazen streak making her grin at him. “Unless you’re too tired for a _midnight snack?_ ”

_That_ certainly seemed to wake him up. He moved quicker than he had in over a month, twisting her and laying her back against his tail. She felt him sliding beneath her, felt her gown lowering with the movements, and then her nightclothes were gone completely as he pushed them up and over her head. She sighed and stretched back against his tail, relishing the feeling of his cool scales against her heated skin. His hands returned to her thighs, stroking up along her sides before settling by her hips, which she raised towards him as she pressed her back against his underbelly. She lifted her head, smiling down at him when she felt his nose nudge her inner thigh, his tongue darting out to flick at her core.

“You’re sssssoaked,” he sighed, licking again – slower this time, deeper. Savoring her. “Delicccioussss.”

“Luka…” she whined, squirming against his hold. Her body was on fire, and she needed him to be touching her, loving her, _fucking_ her…her hand found his hair, tangling in the unruly strands and impatiently tugging him closer with another whine. He chuckled, and she gasped as she felt his cool breath ghosting over her slit. His nose nudged against her folds, and then he was lapping at her again, still so slow, still not enough. She tried to grind her core against his face, but his hands held her hips in place. “Luka!”

“Patiencccce,” he hissed. “We have time, love.”

She knew he was right, but that was something he _always_ said. Luka had always been a…not a _lazy_ lover, not in the sense usually reserved for the term. He was just…mindful. Unhurried. He enjoyed taking his time, slowly bringing her to that peak, inching her closer and closer to the edge before finally pushing her off. And while she never minded his careful affections, there were times when she wished he’d be a bit more…hurried. Times like now, when her body was aching and on fire and all she wanted was his tongue deep inside her, his fingers filling her, his…she groaned, her head falling back as her hand slid along the ridges of his underbelly. Her leg moved, her foot sliding up and back until she found the spot she was looking for. He hissed as she pressed against his slit, knowing full well that no amount of teasing would wake his cocks while his body was in this state, and she shivered as his tongue lashed at her. The hand on her hip flexed, the tips of his claws pricking her just hard enough to remind her of the danger they could present, and then she was reminded of the bit of tail he still had wrapped around her ankle as her leg was suddenly pushed back and up, allowing him better access as he dropped her knee on his shoulder.

“Tease,” he bit, nipping lightly at her clit, and she cried out as she bucked against his face.

“R-rich, coming from…gods, yes, there!” she cried, tugging on his hair again as his tongue flattened against her, stiffening and drawing a firm stroke along her folds. His tail slid along her leg, caressing her. His hand moved from her hip, brushing against her ass, and then she was screaming again as one…two…three fingers thrust deep inside her, crooking just right, and his tongue curled around her clit, his lips sealing over her and sucking firmly. Her back rose from his tail, nonsense tumbling from her lips as he brought her closer and closer. Her hand left his hair, groping blindly at her chest, and the hand still holding her hip squeezed firmly before following after. It slid, palm side-down, along her belly, pressing her down and holding her in place, but still she moved restlessly. Her leg curled around his back, holding him close.

He hummed into her, and she shrieked as he twisted his fingers, his mouth giving a firm suck, a claw pricking lightly inside her – just enough to rattle her senses – and her orgasm crashed over her hard enough to make her head spin. A breathless scream escaped her as her back arched again, her hips pressing firmer against him, white spots dancing behind her tightly closed eyes. She was dimly aware of his tongue, still lapping lazily along her folds, his hands kneading her ass as he held her close. Had her leg slipped from his shoulder? She collapsed against him, panting as her head continued to spin, and it might have been a minute – it might have been twenty – before she’d recovered enough to look down at him, a breathy giggle and a giddy smile on her lips.

…his head was resting against her thigh, his eyes closed and a blissed-out smile on his face. One arm had slipped beneath her, resting just under the curve of her ass, and the other stretched up her body, reaching for the hand that was still mindlessly pawing at her breast. He was fast asleep.

“You silly snake,” she laughed, threading their fingers together and squeezing his hand tightly. While she felt worlds better, her body was still tingling with…

…she groaned, dropping her head back against his tail and squirming again as a realization hit her. The tea. She had let Rose prepare the tea, a special blend her sister had brought to help her through those _long winter months_. One that she had assumed had been made of calming herbs like chamomile and lavender but had probably been laced with amative herbs and damn fae magics. She was going to kill her.

Luka’s breath still tickled along her skin, making her shift as the desire began stirring in her again. She dropped her head back against him, squeezing his hand again as she tried to ignore the burn. Tried to make her body relax. Tried to cling to the jelly-limbed feeling that had flooded her moments before. There was still at least another month, maybe a month and a half before the weather would break. Before…

She groaned again as he moved in his sleep, nuzzling his cheek against her thigh and sending sparks along her hyper-sensitive nerves.

It was going to be the longest month and a half of her life.


	2. Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette thinks back on that first winter - and her first time - with Luka. And the misunderstandings that followed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> …this was supposed to be a nice, simple “what happens AFTER the brumation” pt2. That is clearly not what happened. xD Initially the opening was a flashback on what happened during their first winter. The flashback became an entire chapter proving Linear Storytelling is for Cowards. Next week, on When Worldbuilding Attacks, Fen will check in from Lagoona with an update on the Plunny Hoard. xP
> 
> (Also thanks to everyone who helped me cry through this. It is much better because of them. Pt 3 will hopefully be sometime this week, but I need to recharge after this beast. xD)

“Brumation?” Marinette asked, looking up from the cloak she’d been mending. One of the villagers needed to pass through the Forest before winter set it, and she had asked Marinette to enchant her cloak with a protection spell. Luka looked up from where he was stretched out over her garden path, his tail extended to soak up as much of the late-autumn sun as he could. The days were starting to get shorter, and colder, and her friend had been spending a lot of time on his back in the sun lately.

…well. More than usual, she thought with a smile. He seemed to spend an awful lot of time sunning himself, the lazy snake.

“What’sss that ssssmile for?” he asked, lifting his arms above his head and stretching. His human torso lifted from the ground, arching in a beautiful display of skin and muscle, and Marinette squeaked before returning her focus to her work. She missed the knowing little smirk he sent after her.

“Th-there’s no smile,” she huffed. She glanced up when something flicked against her forehead. He had flipped his tail back, curving it over his head to flick the tip at her. She batted it away with another little huff. “Luka. Some of us are trying to _work_.”

“You’re always working,” he said, but he lowered his tail back to the ground all the same. He didn’t seem to have the energy to continue their game today.

“It’s a busy time of year for me,” she said, smoothing the cloak over her lap. “The village is busy preparing for winter. It’s barely a month away. Most people will only seek me out if they’re desperate. No one wants to brave the snow, so they’d rather have whatever they might need ready at home. You know. Enchantments, salves, medicines…”

She put the cloak back down and reached out to ruffle his hair. He hummed in contentment, but he didn’t move. He didn’t even open his eyes.

“Things will start to slow down soon,” she said. He cracked open an eye to look at her, and she winked. “Then I’ll be all yours. You can have me as much as you want.”

There was a look he gave her at that, one she hadn’t fully understood at the time. She had misinterpreted it as _wistful_ , thinking he had just been missing monopolizing his new friend’s time and attention. She was learning the snakefolk could get rather…possessive of things they deemed theirs, even if it was just time spent with a friend.

“That’ssss what I’m trying to tell you,” he sighed. She bit her lower lip, her hand sliding to his forehead to check for…she didn’t really know what she was checking for, actually. Did the snakefolk run fevers like humans did? He was usually cooler than her anyway, so she wasn’t sure if she’d be able to tell. But he _had_ been more lethargic lately, and he was hissing more. Luka usually had a pretty firm grasp on the common tongue, his natural susurrations only coming out when he was tired or unwell. “Winter is coming. I will need to brumate ssssoon.”

“I still don’t understand what that means,” she said. She picked her sewing back up. She would need to start dinner soon, and she’d been hoping to have the enchantment finished by then. She glanced back at him as he shifted. “Are you staying for dinner?”

“Of courssssse, if you’ll have me,” he said. She rolled her eyes. As if that was even a question. Luka had spent nearly every day since they’d met with her, and he usually always stayed for dinner. Really, she didn’t know why she even asked anymore.

“So what’s this _brumation_ you keep talking about?” she asked. He shifted again, flopping his tail over one of the larger pumpkins in her garden. “Hey! Careful – you’ll smash it!”

“It’ssss…like a hibernatiiiion,” he said, ignoring her as he settled back onto the ground. “My kind don’t hibernate, not really. Our bodies ssssslow to conssssserve energy. I will sssssleep a lot, but I won’t sssssleep all the time. Jusssst…more. I won’t move around much. I won’t eat. I’ve been preparing my nessssst.”

She frowned, thinking of the cave he lived in. It was deep in the Forest, near the clearing by the river she had first met him at. It was cozy enough, but she had never really liked it. Then again, she was used to walls and roofs and soft blankets to curl up in. The more she thought of it, the more she didn’t like it at all. How would he ever keep warm there, with nothing but cold stone and flimsy bedding to protect him? She’d seen the pile of weeds and skins he slept on. She couldn’t imagine Luka not sprawled out with the sun on his belly.

…she couldn’t imagine Luka in winter.

“Your nest…if you’re sleeping, you won’t be leaving your nest,” she said. He nodded. For some reason, that thought made her want to cry. “But…you’ll be alone. How will you stay warm? We’re up against the mountains, Luka. You’ll freeze! You can’t stay in that drafty cave by yourself, and what about when the snows set in? Everyone in the village keeps saying the winters are horrible here, and they all think the snows will start early! How will I make it through the Forest to check on you? No. You can’t. I –”

“Marinette, peacccccce,” he said, chuckling slightly. She hadn’t noticed him moving during her rant, but he was crouched before her chair, his hands brushing her hair back so he could see her more clearly. A warm, amused smile was on his face. “Thisssss is not my firssssst winter. I have lived in these mountains mossssst of my life. I will be fine.”

“No, you won’t!” she huffed. “And I won’t know it because you’ll be stuck there and I’ll be stuck here and _stop laughing, Luka, it’s not funny!_ ”

“I am sssssorry,” he laughed. He brushed his thumb beneath her eye, his smile softening. “Ma-Ma-Marinette. Please don’t cry. I will be fine. It is jussst winter.”

She hadn’t even realized she’d started crying.

He bent her head towards, him, bumping his chin against her in what was becoming a familiar gesture before he rested his chin on her crown.

“The days are getting ssssshorter. Colder. I will need to hunt sssssoon, and then ssssssleep. You won’t sssee me much after thisssss,” he sighed. The thought seemed to make him as sad as it was making her. “I wanted to warn you. I have grown…fond of you, Marinette.”

He said _fond_ like it wasn’t the word he wanted to use, but she was too busy trying to control her tears to notice.

It was stupid. They’d only met the previous spring, shortly after the last snows had thawed. She’d only just moved to the little cottage the previous autumn, shortly before winter had set in. She shouldn’t feel so attached to him, but the thought of spending an entire winter apart felt like a vice around her heart. The idea that this could be the last time she saw him until next spring…

Dinner was a solemn affair after that. She’d finished her enchantment in silence, and even though there was still another hour before sunset he had followed her inside the cottage to help her prepare their meal. As they cooked, he explained how the brumation would work. He was trying to ease her fears, she knew, but his words only seemed to make her more anxious.

She _hated_ the idea of him being stuck in that freezing cave, all alone, with no way for her to reach him.

When he left, she had pulled him down into a fierce hug. When he’d finally pulled away – when she’d finally let him – he had pressed a lingering kiss to her cheek that had left her stunned. He had smiled and promised to visit again soon – at least once more before the brumation. She had watched him go, her eyes glazed over and a hand pressed to the cheek where she could still feel his lips burning.

…she had gotten to work early the next day.

She didn’t see him for a week after that, but that had given her more than enough time to complete her project. When she finally heard his voice calling for her beyond her door, she had barely been able to contain her excitement. She burst through the door and straight into his arms, pressing her cheek against his bare chest as she tightened her hold around him. It had only been a week, but that had been the most time they’d spent apart since meeting.

It was strange, how quickly she’d become accustomed to his presence in her life.

“I have a surprise,” she said, pulling away. He blinked sleepily at her, and her stomach did a little flip. She blamed it on her nerves, on the little voice that hadn’t shut up during her week of preparation. The one that said he wouldn’t like this, that he’d refuse, that he’d be angry at her presumption… “Come with me.”

“Always,” he said, and there was something in his voice that made her stomach flip again. He followed her inside the cottage, where she spun and held her arms out as soon as he was inside.

“Surprise!” she cried. Behind her, a large portion of the room – nearly an entire quarter of the one-room cottage – had been partitioned off with thick, dark curtains. Luka blinked at them, his head tilting to the side.

“What…what is it?” he asked. She grabbed his hand and pulled, dragging him along behind her as she moved to the curtains. She drew one side back, turning to beam at him as she beckoned him closer. His eyes widened when he finally saw what she had done to the newly-concealed space.

She had completely renovated the back corner of the room. A deep depression had been dug into the ground, and smooth rocks – rocks from the river, he was sure – were arranged around the brim. The nest (and he was quite certain it was a nest, for what else could it be?) had been filled with cushions and blankets in varying hues. It was more than large enough to fit a fully-grown naga, and the bedding was much more opulent than the weeds and skins in his nest at home. More than that, it was…warm. Almost stifling so, compared to the rest of the cottage. He turned wide eyes onto Marinette, who was biting her lip and twiddling her thumbs. She glanced up at him, and his heart nearly stopped in his chest.

“Do…do you like it?” she asked. Like it? _Like it?_ He _loved_ it. He was rendered speechless, dumbfounded by…well, by everything. How had she found time to craft such a nest? And without him even knowing? Sewing the blankets and cushions was one thing, but transporting the river rocks would have taken ages, even for a group of his kind working together…he shook his head in wonder, unable to find the words. Her face started to fall, both at his prolonged silence and the shaking of his head. Realizing she had misunderstood, he quickly pulled her into a crushing hug. His tail wrapped around her, and instead of letting her go he merely sat her back on his coils, keeping her in his embrace.

“I love it,” he said, voice thick with emotion, “but…why? I do not undersssstand.”

“You need somewhere to sleep for the winter,” she said, as if it were obvious. He blinked at her, and she rolled her eyes. She wondered if he was being intentionally thick.

“I have ssssomewhere to sssssleep,” he said. She squirmed, her annoyance preventing her from noticing the breath he sucked in at her movements. Back then, she hadn’t been familiar enough with naga anatomy – with _his_ anatomy – to realize where he had set her.

“You have a _cave_ ,” she tutted. She settled back against him in a pout, her arms crossing over her chest. “I would give you a _home_.”

He wondered if she fully understood the weight of her words. What she was asking him. What he wanted to be asked.

He hoped she did.

“I can’t bear the thought of you alone out there all winter,” she continued, as if she hadn’t just turned his world off kilter. “You…you can say no, of course, but I just thought…it will be warmer here. And I’ll be here, so you won’t get lonely, and this way I can know you’re safe, and warm, and…and you hate it. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have –”

That was the first time he’d kissed her.

It had been awkward at first – she had never kissed a snakeman before, and there were added complications kissing a human didn’t present, like the venomous fangs and the excess of tongue. They quickly found a rhythm, though, and when he went to pull away she had let out an embarrassing little whine and tugged his mouth back to hers. When she had finally released him, both were more than a little breathless and dazed and had simply stayed there, staring at each other, for the longest moment. She was the first to finally find her voice, licking her lips nervously as her eyes settled on anywhere but him. A soft hissing escaped him, and she wondered if he was going to kiss her again. She was pretty sure she’d let him.

“I…I would like you stay,” she finally said, clearing her throat when her voice came out raspy. When she could finally meet his eyes again, the look she found there would have made her knees give out, had he not still been holding her. “Here. With me. For…for the winter, yes, but…as long as you’d like, really. This can be your home, too.”

She had told herself she was only asking because a cottage was better than a cave. That it had nothing to do with the way her heart was pounding in her chest or how she wanted nothing more than to kiss him again.

“I would like to sssstay,” he said, his voice low. He pulled her closer, wrapping himself around her until he felt like a second skin. His face nuzzled against her shoulder, and her breath hitched in her throat. “For as long as you’d have me. I will ssssstay.”

“Ok,” she said a little breathlessly, her arms coming up to wrap around his head. “Th-then welcome home, Luka.”

– V –

Their first winter had been…hard. Strained, at least. There had been a lot of adjustments needing to be made, and Marinette still had had a lot to learn about the snakefolk. Luka had been patient with her, though, explaining what he could (when he could, when he hadn’t been sleeping).

He had fully entered his brumation shortly after that day, though, and they’d never really had a chance to talk about the kiss or what _as long as you’d have me_ implied before the lethargy kicked in. She didn’t feel it right to discuss such matters when he was so tired, so she had let it go. He would stay, at least through winter, and when spring came and he was fully awake they would discuss what would come after. She hoped _after_ included his staying for good, and that had been the impression he had given her at the time, but…Marinette tended to worry, and over-think, and the longer Luka existed in his half-awake state the more Marinette complicated things in her mind.

She wanted him to stay. She wanted him. She just…was afraid he didn’t want her back, at least not in the same way. It wouldn’t be the first time a boy had tried to kiss her in one breath and told her she was _just a friend_ in the next.

Still. Something had definitely changed between them, though at first Marinette hadn’t been sure if it was the Kiss or just how the snakefolk were during winter. The lethargy seemed to make Luka less inhibited, and what time he didn’t spend curled up in his new nest he spent wrapped around her. By only the second day she had given up her chair by the fire entirely, as he usually pulled her down in his coils to cuddle against him. She was reminded in many ways of her friend Kagami’s familiar Adrien, a temperamental black cat who was always curled in the witch’s lap or sprawled along her shoulders and eager with a hiss and claw if anyone he didn’t like came too close to his witch.

The first time a villager had stopped by for a spell – the blacksmith’s apprentice, a hulking youth named Ivan – Luka had hissed when he’d emerged from his nest at Ivan’s excited shout (and Marinette had never seen Luka hiss at a villager, at least not when they didn’t deserve it). When he had found Marinette in Ivan’s arms, the man having scooped her up to spin her in a grateful hug, he had nearly attacked in what Marinette would have called a jealous rage, had it been anyone but Luka. The sudden appearance of the irritated naga had been enough to scare Ivan off, and Marinette had bid him farewell with an apology and a promise she would speak to her housemate. When she’d turned enraged eyes on the snake, she’d been surprised to find he looked…sheepish. Embarrassed, almost. And more than a little guilty.

That had been the first night she’d slept in his nest. Luka had been horrified at his actions, and it had taken most of the rest of the day to calm him down. By the time he’d finally drifted off, they were already back in his nest, and he was holding her tightly to him even in his sleep. If she was honest with herself, she hadn’t wanted to move, so she…didn’t. She had woken up well before Luka the next morning and had left the nest to catch up on the work she’d let go the night before, but when that was done and he was still sleeping she had slipped back into his arms. His smile when he finally woke had been worth it – as had the languid kisses he’d stolen from her (or maybe she’d gifted him).

By the time spring had arrived, Marinette was confident enough to say they were more than friends, but not confident enough to say what that _more_ entailed.

There had definitely been more kissing as winter had passed. There had maybe even been (slightly unintentional?) touching, especially as they slept. She had lost count of the mornings she had woken with his hand under her gown or his tail curling around her legs, though the touches were usually innocent enough. _His_ nest had become _their_ nest, and she had quickly learned Luka was a possessive bed…nestmate. She usually woke wrapped in his arms and tail, and if her nightgown had shifted through the night and granted him easier access to her skin that was really no one’s fault. Luka had also always been more physical than most humans she knew anyway, so she hadn’t been surprised when he’d instinctively reached for her in the night. He had always been ready with a hug or a shoulder touch, had always wound himself around her when, say, he was peering over her shoulder, curious as to what she was working on. He threw his entire body into any hug, holding her close and coiling around her until she could almost disappear in him. It was just a snake thing, she’d told herself. There was nothing affectionate about it, not like it would be with another human. The snakefolk were just… _tactile_.

Of course, it only took a few days – no more than a week – for winter (and Luka’s brumation) to end for Marinette to learn how very wrong she had been. How much she had…misunderstood.

It was rare during those days that Luka would wake before her. He usually slept well into the day, rising much later than she did and going back to sleep well before her as well. His waking hours were filled with naps, and there had been plenty of days he never left their nest at all. So when she had awoken to the feeling of something moving around her, she hadn’t immediately thought _Luka_ because _Luka_ couldn’t be up.

…except he had been.

There had been a gentle touch sliding along her side, one that she would have called a caress had she been awake enough to name it. It pulled her from her dreams, a persistent call to come awake that had her squirming and rolling onto her back. The touch slid along her stomach to rest on her hip, but it didn’t stop. Not completely. Her eyebrows furrowed, a little groan escaping her as she shimmied again.

Luka’s soft chuckle was what finally, fully, woke her.

Her eyes snapped open to find him leaning above her, his arm propped against the pillows above them with his cheek resting in his palm. His other arm stretched across her, his hand holding onto her hip as his thumb brushed over her. There was a look on his face that made her breath catch in her throat even more than his little touches had. His eyes were somehow clearer than they had been in months and yet…there was a glassy look in them, a heaviness she couldn’t quite name that had her insides curling pleasantly.

Before she could question him – how was he feeling, why was he awake so early, was something wrong, was the brumation over – he bent towards her and captured her lips in a slow, languid kiss. His hand moved from her hip to her chin, tilting her head up to give him better access. When his tongue flicked against her lips and she opened her mouth in a gasp, it darted inside to twine along her own. She was breathless by the time he pulled away, but he wasn’t content to claim a single, solitary kiss. His lips trailed along her jaw, down the column of her neck, ghosting little kisses as he went. His fangs grazed against her skin – not hard enough to puncture, but with enough pleasant pressure that she was arching towards him as she sucked in a breath. His tongue licked along the spot as his hand moved back to her hip, then around to the small of her back to hold her against him.

There were natural ridges along his underbelly, but there was a spot just below where scales met skin that seemed…fuller than usual. It was pressing against her lower stomach in a way that was…not unpleasant, not at all. Different. Nice. When he rolled onto his back, carrying her with him so she settled with her legs sprawled on either side of his tail and that swollen ridge pressed firmly against her core, she had the thought that it was _very_ nice. His arm tightened around her back, and his free hand slid up to tangle in her hair. He cupped the back of her head and guided her mouth back to his own.

She was dizzy on him, on his kisses and soft caresses. Of the feeling of him beneath her, between her, around her. In her half-awake, lust-addled mind, he was _everywhere_. Her arms came up to wrap around his neck, her fingers sliding into his hair and tangling, and the noise he made when she pulled on the soft strands was nothing short of delicious. She wanted to hear that sound again, and louder, and _more_ , and it was as he rolling her again and pressing her back into the cushions and blankets of their nest that she realized she couldn’t actually be awake. This was the stuff of her darkest dreams, her deepest nighttime fantasies…Luka loving her like this was something she had wished for but didn’t dare to hope could actually be possible. It wouldn’t have been the first time that winter she had woken wanting, the ghost of his kisses still lingering in a torturous loop in her mind.

And yet…there was something all too real about his kiss, the way his hand gripped her side, the roll of his scales against her legs…she wasn’t fully convinced it wasn’t a dream, and if it was she never wanted to wake up.

“Marinette…” he sighed her name like a supplication, his voice thick and heady. His tongue flicked against her skin in a familiar gesture, scenting her. Her breath hitched as it tickled her skin, and his answering chuckle was low and deep and made her head spin. “Gods, you ssssmell sssso good…”

He had stopped kissing her at some point and had started nuzzling his head against her shoulder. That was safe. That was also familiar. That was Luka. Her fingers twisted in his hair again, and the sound he made was anything _but_ safe. Her eyes blinked open, her head turning to catch his eye. He was still watching her like…

“I have been dreaming of thissss moment – of you – all winter, Ma-Ma-Marinette,” he sighed. He lifted his head from her shoulder to kiss her. His hand moved slowly down her side, his thumb slipping beneath where her nightgown had hitched high on her hips to lazily run his claw against her skin. He smiled as she shivered against him.

“Wha…what…what moment is that, Luka?” she asked, licking her lips at how suddenly dry her mouth felt. Her eyes closed again when he dipped down for another kiss, his tongue once again lazily exploring her mouth. His teeth grazed against her lips in a teasing bite as he pulled away. There was still a wanting look in his eyes, but that familiar teasing glint was back.

“The moment I was finally awake enough to love you like I’ve wanted ssssince you assssked me to ssssstay,” he said. Her eyes widened at that, her heart lurching into her throat. She couldn’t have heard him right. He couldn’t possibly…and with her…and he…he was nuzzling her again, his lips dropping lazy kisses as they passed over the skin above her neckline. “I have been craving you all winter, Marinette. You have filled every dream, every waking moment, every torturoussss fantasssssy in between…can I love you, Marinette? Can I have you?”

“I…I…you…can…huh?” she stammered, shaking her head in a desperate attempt to clear it. He wanted to…to what? Her mind was spinning, and the hand steadily moving up her side was doing nothing to help her focus. He cupped her breast, kneading slightly as his thumb reached up to brush against a nipple, and a jolt of pleasure shot through her. She squirmed, trying to squeeze her thighs together, but Luka was lying between them and she only succeeded in pulling him closer. He groaned against her throat, pressing his face against her skin as his tongue scented again.

“Gods, your ssssmell…you want me as badly as I want you,” he said, his voice sounding almost…strangled. Guttural. His hips rocked into her, drawing her attention back to that bulging ridge. “My Marinette…my little moussssse…I am going to _devour_ you.”

…the way he said that, the thrill that coursed through her…she had no doubt he would.

“Luka, what…” she tried, but then he had pushed her nightgown over her breasts and had lowered his head, replacing his thumb with his mouth. She gasped as his tongue swirled, one of her hands pressing his head closer to her as the other dropped to his shoulders. “Oh gods…”

“Touch me, Marinette,” he begged, nuzzling his face between her breasts. “I want to feel you. I need to feel you. I have waited sssso long for you…”

He pulled away, bracing his arms on either side to lean above her. The look of utter devotion, of desire, of need on his face sent her heart lurching again. His eyes were glowing, his pupils wide and dark. She swallowed and reached out, cupping her palm against his cheek. He pressed his face into her hand, his eyes slipping shut with a sigh.

“I have wanted you for ssssso long,” he sighed. “When I woke and I could feel you, and I could feel my body sssstirring…let me love you, Marinette. Let me complete the mating, now that I can.”

Marinette was reminded of years ago, when she was still a witchling and just learning how to fly. She had struggled in the beginning, and shortly after beginning her training had accompanied her mother on a long flight. She had lost control of the broom and had been tossed about the sky, until finally the broom had bucked her off. Her mother had managed to catch her before she could fall too far, but the broom – without a witch to guide it – had ended up in pieces in a nearby tree. She had never forgotten that feeling of utter helplessness, though. The certainty that she was lost.

Marinette wasn’t sure what Luka’s quiet entreaty made her feel like more: that young, terrified witchling lost in a freefall or the shattered broom.

He turned his head to the side, pressing his lips into her palm, and she realized that it didn’t matter. She was already lost – had been since they had first locked eyes in that clearing all those months ago.

“…yes,” she breathed. Her hand moved to cup the back of his head, and she pulled him back down to her to seal their mouths together in a heated kiss. His arm wrapped around her back and pulled her to him, holding her close as his lips moved along her jaw and down her neck. Her leg hooked over his tail, pulling him against her again, and she gasped as his hips jerked towards her. She kept one of her arms around his neck, but her other hand moved over his shoulder, trailing down his chest and stomach then back up. The feeling of her nails lightly scratching his skin made him hiss, and her stomach clenched as he rocked into her again. “Yes, Luka.”

The words had no sooner left her than he had pounced, making good on his promise to _devour_ her. Their kisses were heated, frantic affairs of tongue and teeth, his lips trailing fire as he left her mouth to nip and suck along her jaw, her neck, her chest. He hissed when he reached the neckline of her nightgown, but she had barely registered his displeasure before he was lifting it up and over her head. He was _everywhere_ : his mouth pulling on a pebbled nipple, claws lightly scratching at her ribs, ridged underbelly rocking against her core, smooth scales sliding between her legs…her head fell back against the pillows, lost in the sensation of him.

She clung to him, one hand still fisted in his hair as the other lightly ran her nails up and down his back. There was a dip and swell where scales met skin, and as his mouth left her breast to trail down her ribs, her side, in towards her stomach her hand slid over it, wondering at the feel of his scales. She had had human lovers before, was used to the feel of sweat-slicked skin and an ass to grip. This was…different. Foreign. _New_. She could still feel that bulge below his stomach, but with her gown fully out of the way she could also now feel a slickness to it. But before she could question it he had moved, his tail sliding back as he moved lower and lower. His traveling fingers hooked in her underwear and pulled, and her hips lifted to help him slide them down and off. They joined her nightgown somewhere behind them, and then she was bare before him.

It was strange. Luka rarely wore clothes. There had been one occasion where she had seen him with golden belts and jewels swooping along his hips, a collar of gold and sapphire spread across his broad shoulders, but he had told her that had been for some formal family affair. She had seen him shrouded in cloaks, but on the general whole…Luka had no need for clothes, not like she did. It occurred to her that she had always seen Luka naked, even if this was the first time he was seeing her likewise. A bashfulness crept over her, and she instinctively drew back her arm to cover herself. He caught her hand before she could, lacing their fingers together and squeezing before he returned that hand to his shoulders.

“Don’t,” he breathed, dropping a kiss in the dip of her hip. “You are beautiful, Marinette. Let me enjoy you.”

Her hand clutched at his shoulder, but only for a moment while the initial fear and nerves tried to overwhelm her. She took a steadying breath, closing her eyes and forcing her hand to relax. She felt his skin, smooth and sweat-slicked and familiar, under her palm as she ran it along his shoulder, down his arm, squeezing when she reached his elbow. She felt his hand moving, slowly caressing her ribs and the underside of her breast before cupping its weight and kneading. He was also touching her hip, his hand skirting in and his thumb teasing in towards the juncture of her thighs. She felt his chin, his head resting just below her navel – his tongue darting out to trace that dip. She took another breath, then another, but they felt less controlled the more he touched her. When his hand disappeared beneath them, his fingers brushing against her folds (and from the glide, she knew she had to be embarrassingly wet), she lost any thought of control and gasped, bucking against him. She swallowed and opened her eyes again, looking back at him. His head had turned, his cheek pressed against her skin as he breathed her in, but she could feel the smirk on his lips.

“I want to enjoy _you_ , too,” she said, her voice breathy but firm. He glanced up at her, and her heart skipped several beats at the sight of him between her legs, his face so close to her aching core. She chewed on her lip for a moment before scratching her hand through his hair. “It just…feels a little one-sided. I want you to enjoy this, too.”

He was back on top of her in a blink, pressing her into the pillows as he kissed her fiercely. He rocked against her, and she gasped as that strange slick spread across her stomach. More than that, it felt like there was…he took her hand and pressed it against his underbelly, to that ridge she had been fascinated by all morning. There was a slit – the source of the fluid – that seemed to be slipping back, spreading the more he rocked. _Opening._ He guided her fingers inside, dipping just below the line of scaled flesh, and she gasped as something hard bumped against her.

“I am definitely enjoying thisssss,” he breathed in her ear, his fingers squeezing her own. “I have dreamed of touching you. Of tassssting you.”

“But…I want to touch you, too,” she insisted, but then he was biting at her neck and her fingers flexed instinctively, pulling at the lip of the ridge – just enough that whatever had nudged her slipped out. She gasped as he pressed against her, long and thick and…and…her eyes snapped open when he took her hand and wrapped her fingers around…but there was…

“Then touch me, Marinette,” he rasped, nuzzling his face against her shoulder. She pushed at him, just enough to make him lean back. She watched him for a moment, basking in the way he looked at her, before she stole a kiss and pushed, rolling them so that he was on his back. She stretched out beside him, her hand still wrapped loosely around…he groaned when her hand slipped along the slick shaft, and she broke their kiss to look down at him.

…there were two. She hadn’t imagined that.

“Oh…” she gasped, and he lifted his head to look at her.

“Wh…what?” he asked, gulping as she released the one cock to prod at the other. His eyebrows rose as he watched her.

“There’s…you have…there are two,” she said, glancing back up at him. She prayed the early morning light wasn’t bright enough to reveal the blush she knew had to be staining her cheeks, but Luka had always seemed to have no trouble seeing in the dark. His lips quirked in a smile, and a breathy chuckle left him. She frowned and squeezed the cock she was still holding, making him hiss. She looked back to his lap, tilting her head to the side. “I suppose…I mean…I knew that.”

She had. When she had first met Luka, she had immediately scoured every book she could get her hands on for information about the snakefolk. While that hadn’t always proven to be very informative (in most human accounts, they were still shrouded in fear and misunderstanding), some tomes had proven more…educational. Including a book on naga anatomy that she hadn’t actually returned to until the start of winter, when he had told her of the brumation and had agreed to stay with her. If he was to be under her care for the season, she figured, she needed to know more about how his body worked. In case something went wrong. In case she needed to care for him. Medically.

She was certain there had been a mention in the book about… _hemipenes_. Reproductive anatomy. It was just…there was a difference, she supposed, between casually seeing something like two penises mentioned in a book and actually seeing them in real life.

…actually realizing you were about to have sex with someone that had two penises in real life.

Oh, gods.

Were…did he expect…were they both supposed to fit…at once?

She was suddenly feeling dizzy, but she wasn’t entirely sure it was in a good way.

“Marinette?” he asked, his voice sounding much clearer. He pushed himself up, a hand coming to rest on her arm. “Marinette. Is…are you all right?”

“F-fine!” she squeaked, and she groaned when her voice shot up an octave or two. He was chuckling, and she groaned again as she let him gather her to his chest. She pressed her burning face against him, shaking her head. “S-sorry. Gods, I’m ruining this…”

“You could never,” he whispered, nuzzling her shoulder. He bopped his forehead against her. “Why are you ruining it? You were doing ssssplendidly.”

“I saw your cocks and freaked out!” she whined. He pulled back, his head tilting quizzically. There was an expression on his face that was somewhere between bemused and…something deeper, darker, that she was almost afraid to name. He was still smiling, his shoulders bobbing a little with suppressed laughter. “Luka! It’s not funny!”

“Were you freaking out?” he asked, lifting a hand to her cheek. “I hadn’t noticcccced, but I was a bit…dissssstracted. You were ssssstill touching me, little moussssse.”

“I’m not a mouse,” she huffed. “You don’t want me to be a mouse. Don’t snakes eat mice?”

His answering grin was positively _wicked_.

“…I was trying to,” he said calmly. She squeaked again, and she knew there was no way he had missed her blush that time. He chuckled and brought her mouth back to his, kissing her deeply. “Yesssss, I have two. My anatomy is…different from humans, but that does not mean I want you any lesssss. Clearly, you have sssstill made me…painfully hard.”

“How…how does it work?” she asked, pulling away to look down at his lap. With one hand still playing with the hairs at the nape of his neck, the other reached down to run a finger along one tip, then the other. They were…they were beautiful, if she was honest with herself – and she had never been one to think a penis was beautiful. Every other penis she had seen had been…well, a penis. Nothing particularly exciting or special about them. Luka’s, though…were…they were something else. The heads were swollen and leaking, a pale mint in color that darkened to a deeper teal at the root. They were thicker the closer they were to his slit, with slight ridges along the lengths and a tapering around the bulbous tip. They were also coated in the same sticky slick that seemed to be coming from his slit. She absently bit her lip as her hand wrapped around the right cock, and she wasn’t sure if the groan he gave had more to do with his fascination with biting and lips (specifically hers) or how she had begun to slowly stroke him.

“M-much the sssame as…ah…as one of your own, I believe…” he panted, his head dropping back to her shoulder. “Gods, that feels good…”

She smiled a little, tugging on the fine hairs at his neck while she swiped her thumb over his tip. He bucked into her touch, and she smiled as he bumped against her. His hands dropped to her hips, gripping her tightly and squeezing as he tried to control his breathing. Her eyes moved to his other cock, and she pulled on his hair again.

“I meant…do you…use both? At the same time? Or…” she licked her lower lip, and he whimpered as she stretched her fingers to flick at his second cock. “Have I been ignoring this one?”

“It’sssss…ah…only…” he tried to say, but he was finding it hard to concentrate on anything but the feel of her hand around him, the jolts of pleasure racing down his spine, the tightening in his gut. “M-Marinette, I’m…”

“What do you need, Luka?” she whispered, shivering as he nipped at the skin of her chest. His breath fanned hot against her, his claws pricking against her hips as he fought the urge to haul her into his lap and fuck her senseless. The cock in her hand was throbbing, swelling with every pass.

“I…you…I need you, Marinette,” he gasped. “Sssso clossssse…please…”

Later, he would find time to be embarrassed about how quickly he had fallen apart once she had started touching him. Later, once they actually sat down and talked about things without the distraction of a winter’s worth of sexual frustration, they would probably even laugh about it. But that would be later, after they had exhausted themselves and were lying in a sweaty, tangled heap in their nest.

For the time being, she had sat up on her knees and was holding his head to her chest, whispering encouragingly in his ear as she continued to pump her hand along his shaft. He had barely given her a moment’s warning before his arms snapped up to wrap around her, holding her close as his fangs had sunk into her chest, lodging just above her heart. She gasped at the bite – harder than any he had given her so far – and her hand had paused, but he was already jerking into her loosened hold, his release splattering against their stomachs. It was several moments before he slumped against her, panting.

“So…” she finally said, brushing her fingers lightly against the softening cock. She glanced down, noticing that the other was still hard and ready. “One at a time then?”

“…you are going to kill me,” he groaned, and when she started to giggle he lifted his head from her chest and tugged her mouth back to his. She squealed as he surged forward, dropping them back into the nest. His hands slid along her sides to grip her hips, tugging her towards him as he bucked against her. His still-hard cock ground between them, the other nudging against her core enough to make her moan into the kiss. One of his hands slipped between them to stroke at her folds, gathering her slickness to rub between his fingers. “Yessss, they function independently, but they can alssssso be used…sssssimultaneoussssly, if you ssso desired.”

“M-maybe next time,” she giggled. He nipped teasingly at her shoulder, but then his tongue was running along the deeper bite from earlier.

“I am sssssorry,” he said. “I got carried away. Did I hurt you?”

“I…I kinda liked it,” she admitted, her cheeks darkening both at her admission and the grin he shot her. She moaned, pushing against him when his fingers slid deeper inside her. “Th-though when you said you wanted to _taste_ me…not what I…ah!”

He had crooked his fingers inside her, pushing up and pressing firmly against her walls. He chuckled as his mouth drifted lower, back to her breast, his tongue dragging across her nipple.

“Not what I meant,” he murmured in agreement. She whined when he removed his fingers from insider her, bringing them up to his mouth and licking. He grinned up at her. “I haven’t eaten all winter, little mousssse. I’m ssssuddenly…sssstarving…”

“Wh-?” she tried to ask, but then he was gone, slithering lower. She felt his tail moving beneath them, sliding under her ass and angling her hips up. His eyes locked on hers, and her breath caught as she watched him lick his lips. He dropped a kiss low on her belly, right above her curls, before moving lower – and then he was kissing her _there_ , his lips pressed firmly against her slit as his tongue dove deep within her folds. Her head fell back with a gasp, her hips bucking against his face, and his hands slipped from her hips to her ass, pulling her against him.

“Deliccccioussss,” he hissed, licking her again and making her whimper. He turned his head to kiss her thigh, nuzzling her. “I think you’re my new favorite ssssnack, little mousssse…”

She laughed a little at that. Her hand reached out, sliding back into his hair, and he caught her hand to kiss her palm. His mouth was sticky with her.

“Moussssinette…” he called teasingly, and she groaned.

“Th-that’s not becoming a thing,” she said, but her argument left her as he returned his mouth to her core. He licked and nipped, bumping his nose against her clit before pressing a thumb against it and rubbing. Her head was spinning, her senses dizzy and drunk on his affections. She could feel her stomach curling pleasantly, the tension building deep within her with every heated lick, every forceful rub. Later, when they were laughing over how quickly he’d come, they’d also share a laugh over how quickly he’d brought her own release about. She had already been so tightly wound from his teasing touches, his heated kisses, the thrill of watching him fall apart at her hands…it did not take long at all until her hands were fisted in his hair, pulling him close as her walls spasmed, her release painting his tongue with a fresh coat of her juices. He hummed into her, still lapping lazily at her even after she’d collapsed back against his tail, her body suddenly boneless.

…except he wasn’t done.

She was still panting when he began slithering back up her body, his tail moving below and between her jellied legs. One of his hands caught her ankle, lifting as his hand slid along her leg as he moved. She whined when he hooked that leg over his hip, but his mouth was already back on hers. He caressed her thigh, lightly dragging his claws against her skin, and another whine left her as she felt his still-hard cock rubbing between them.

“You are ssssso good,” he sighed into their kiss. Her body shook, trembling as he reached between them to brush against her over-sensitive folds. Her hand dropped from his shoulder to press above his heart, and she wondered at how it raced beneath her palm. “Beautiful. Perfect.”

“Luka…” she murmured, her breath hitching as he positioned the hardened cock against her entrance. She gasped as he rocked against her, barely slipping inside before retreating. “Luka!”

“Yessss,” he murmured, pressing his forehead to her own. Her eyes opened to find him smiling down at her, his eyes glowing in the low light. He kissed her, again barely pushing in before retreating, and she whimpered. “Sssssing for me, Moussssinette. Sssscream for me.”

She opened her mouth to rebuke him, but then he was thrusting forward, burying himself deep inside her, and whatever she had been preparing to tell him left in the scream he had asked for.

“Lu-kaaah!” she cried, her arms tightening around his shoulders, holding him to her. He pulled back slowly, but the leg on his hip twisted to hold him to her, her body shaking. “Gods…too…too much…”

“Are you all right?” he asked, nudging his nose against her ear. She bit her lip, a sound somewhere between a groan and whine escaping her. He felt bigger than he’d looked, filling her completely – but it had been a long time since she’d shared a bed with anyone, and she was already so sensitive from her first release. He moaned against her when her walls fluttered around him. Her other leg came up to wrap around him, and she pulled him closer, sliding him deeper inside as she rocked up. She panted, nodding and pressing her face into his shoulder.

“Y-you’re going to kill me…” she said, laughing a little breathlessly. “Gods, you feel good.”

“Can…are you…” he tried to ask, and he hissed when she pulled back and rocked into him again.

“Fuck me,” she ordered. His eyes widened, darkening at her command, and she had no sooner grinned at him then he was capturing her mouth again, pushing her back into their nest as he thrust into her heated core time and again.

It was too much and not enough all at the same time. She clung to him as he rocked against her, pushing her back into their nest with every thrust. Her nails scratched down his back, her ankles locking behind his waist. Her head fell back, mouth open in a silent scream as he nipped and licked at her chest. She could feel his other cock, sliding beneath her with every pass, already feeling like it was hardening again. She could feel herself winding tighter and tighter, still too close to that edge from the last time and ready to fall again.

At some point his thrusts had become less hurried, driving in slow and deep and hitting her _just right_ , but it still wasn’t enough. She needed more, she needed harder, she needed…she pushed him back as he withdrew, rolling them onto his back and crawling on top of him. She grinned down at his stunned expression, already reaching between them to guide him back into her heat. His eyes fluttered shut as she sank onto him, his hands gripping her thighs and trying to hold her in place. She pulled her lower lip between her teeth and shook her head, reaching to move his hands from her legs and twine their fingers together. She squeezed his hands and smiled down at him as she lifted herself and sank back down, and his breath stuttered.

“You are a goddessssss,” he breathed. Her answering laugh was strained, and he moaned as she bent forward, seating him deeper as she caught his lips in a kiss. She continued to rock, increasing her tempo with every pass, as they kissed. She stretched their arms above their heads, tracing her hands along him as she leaned up. He moaned into their kiss, but when he tried to reach for her again she pressed her hands to his shoulders to keep them in place. She nipped at his lip, making him hiss, before she sat back on him, grinding down. Her fingers curled against his stomach, marveling at the feeling of the muscle twitching beneath her touch. “Beautiful…enchantresssssss…”

“Sweet-talker,” she giggled, and his answering chuckle was cut off in a groan. She laid a palm flat against his stomach while the other drew back, scratching lightly as she reached to touch herself. His eyes followed her, his hands fisting in the pillows above him and his throat bobbing in a swallow. “You feel so good, Luka. I’m so…oh gods…”

“Marinette,” he called, meeting her thrust as she continued to ride him. “May I…let me…I need to touch you, Marinette.”

“You are touching me,” she said, smiling at him as she squeezed him from inside. He gasped again, and her laugh was almost enough to wreck him. Her head fell back with a moan, and he watched her rub a slow circle against her nub.

“N-no,” he said. “You are touching _yourself_. Let me finish you. Please.”

She made a noise of agreement, and then his hands were on her. One loosely held her hip as the other guided her hand away from where they were joined. His eyes followed it as she reached up to rub her breast, and he swallowed again before his thumb pressed against her. Her head was spinning, lost in the sensations of him and them. She could feel her body tightening, feel the freefall coming, feel the world about to rattle apart. She leaned forward, scratching against his stomach as she sank down and stayed, her hips jerking as her entire body shook.

“That’sssss it, love,” he called softly, pressing harder into her nub. He bucked into her, and a strangled cry left her lips. “You’re ssssso beautiful. Let yoursssself go. Come for me.”

“Lu…” she gasped, but his name cut off in a cry as he thrust one more time, his thumb jerking harshly, and her arms gave out as she fell forward, her body spasming as she clung to him – but then he was rolling them again, and another strangled cry left her as he continued thrusting, his hips snapping into her in an almost bruising rhythm. Her head fell back, her mouth opened in a silent scream as her world went black, her fingers digging into his shoulders painfully. His mouth found her neck, then her shoulder, and he was biting her again as he gave one final, desperate thrust and stilled.

She wasn’t sure how long they laid there, trying to catch their breath and come back to their senses. He was a heavy weight against her, his cock having slipped out after a few more stuttered thrusts. It wasn’t unpleasant, though. His head was resting on her chest, occasionally nuzzling his face against her breasts and dropping little kisses to her skin, and her arms had come up to wrap around him. Her hand had returned to his hair – she loved brushing through it about as much as he seemed to enjoy it – while the other curled over his shoulder. She knew they should move. She knew they should clean up, that lying there was going to get uncomfortable fast, but she couldn’t bring herself to move. Luka didn’t seem to want to go anywhere, either, and she was ok with that.

…she was really ok with that, she thought with a little giggle. He hummed, brushing his nose against her before his tongue flicked out to lick at her skin.

“What’ssss ssso funny, little mousssse?” he murmured. She giggled again, bending her head to press a kiss against his hair.

“Nothing,” she sighed. “It’s just…I’ve been so worried, all winter, that once it got warm again you’d go back to your cave and…but I guess this means you’re staying, then?”

He tensed in her arms, and then he was pushing himself off of her to study her face. His eyes searched hers, a desperately confused look in them.

“Why would I leave?” he asked haltingly, his eyebrows furrowing with his confusion. “Thissss is my home. _You_ are my home. My mate. I would never leave my mate.”

“It’s just that we never discussed things, and you never went back to your cave, and…I don’t know, Luka,” she said, shrugging a little. “It seems silly now, but…Luka?”

He answered her question with a kiss, pressing her back into their nest – _their nest_ , he thought fervently as he held her closer. The one she had built for them, back when she had asked him to stay and have _her_ home become _their_ home and…if she had not intended for him to be her mate, what could she have possibly meant by asking him to stay for _as long as he liked?_

When he pulled away, there was a fierceness she was unaccustomed to in his expression.

“We are mated, Marinette,” he said, his tone leaving no doubt in Marinette’s mind where he stood on the matter. How certain he was of that fact. “Nagas mate for life. You have been my mate ssssince the fall, when you firssst asssked. Ssssimply because I could not complete the mating until now –”

“Wait, what?” she asked, pushing him back and sitting up. She shook her head. “What are you…hold on. I asked you to stay for…for the winter, and yes, I’d hoped you’d decide to stay longer, but that was because you were living in a _cave_ , Luka, and I hated the idea of you there alone all winter, and I was _worried_ because I was starting to love you, and –!”

He lifted himself, sitting back on his tail so he wouldn’t tower over her. His hands flexed as they reached for her, but he did not touch her. He hesitated, his eyes still searching her face as she began to ramble, but he knew her well enough to know if he didn’t stop the rant she never would.

“You built usssss a nessssst. Assssked me into your home. _Kissssssed_ me,” he huffed, shaking his head with a frown. His natural hiss was growing worse in his agitation. Her mouth dropped open, a look of shock appearing on her face. “Repeatedly. Marinette, is that not how human matings work? Your…marriages?”

Their _what?_

“I…I…” she stammered, her eyes widening. Is that what it had looked like to him? She had never asked…she had never proposed! Yes, she had asked him to stay with her – to live with her – and yes, there had been kissing and touching over the winter, but she had never explicitly asked him to be her…mate? Husband. _Her husband?_

…but she _had_ built him a nest. In her home. Where she had asked him to stay, _for as long as he liked._ Was that what the snakefolk did? Is that how they proposed marriage?

…had she been married to Luka this entire time, by naga custom, and not even realized it?

“Thisssss entire time, you never refused my advancccces,” he continued, his frown deepening. There was an edge of fear to the confusion now, as if he was scared to hear anything else she had to say. As if he was scared he was about to learn he wasn’t as important to her as she was to him. “Throughout the winter…I did not imagine you kisssssing me. I did not imagine you ssssssleeping in our nessssst, or letting me hold you. I did not imagine you ssssssaying you loved me.”

“I do love you!” she cried, but that only seemed to make it worse.

“I assssked if I could complete the mating…” he said, his face falling as he looked to his lap. His hemipenes had retracted into his sheath, but his scales were still slick with the evidence of their lovemaking. His brow furrowed as he stared at the mess. “You sssssaid _yesssss_.”

“I thought…when you said _mate_ , I just thought you wanted to…” she trailed off, hating that she couldn’t say the words _have sex_ without her stomach curling in an unpleasant way. It hadn’t been unpleasant – not at all – and she had been eager to do it again.

“Nagas mate for life, Marinette,” he repeated. Her hands fisted in her lap. “We don’t jusssst…sssssleep with anyone. Ssssshare a nesssst with anyone. _Have ssssssex_ with anyone. Only our mate.”

“Well, humans don’t do that!” she snapped. “I know you lived in cave, far removed from society, but surely you’ve interacted with enough humans to know that sometimes sex is just sex!”

“…was it _jusssst sssssex_ for you?” he asked, and the words were like a blow to her gut. He sounded devastated – heartbroken – and she couldn’t look at him. Her hands twisted, reaching for a blanket to cover herself. She suddenly felt so… _naked_.

“…sometimes,” she confessed, trying to ignore the hissing breath he sucked in. “Before. With…others. Not…not with you, though. I wanted…I _want_ this, Luka. I want _you_.”

“I want you, too,” he said softly, slithering closer. He reached for the blanket, but he didn’t go to move it. “I have wanted you from the moment we met. I had hoped…but winter came sssso fassssst, before I could prepare you a…but then you asssked firsssst…and I thought…Marinette.”

He covered her hand with his own, wrapping his fingers tight around her. She finally looked up at him, but she almost wished she hadn’t. She’d known she’d hate the look on his face.

“What am I to you, Marinette?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

“You’re Luka,” she said without hesitation. His lips quirked in a little smile, but she couldn’t smile back. That…that wasn’t right. He _was_ Luka, but he was also more than that. He was…more than her friend. Her lover? Yes. She’d like him to be. But…her husband? Her… _mate?_

It sounded so simple, when she put it like that. When she thought of him here, of their life together, of the life she wanted to build.

“…you’re my mate,” she said, turning her hand in his to thread their fingers together and squeeze. Her voice sounded stronger that time, more certain. “You’re my mate. I just…it’s not that I don’t want it, Luka. It’s not that I didn’t want it. I just…wish I had realized? I mean…come on. Here I spent the whole winter freaking out about how I was going to convince you to stay, and you tell me we were already married. Give a girl a minute to adjust.”

Her lips twitched in a little smile, and he chuckled – the laugh was nervous and relieved, a little huffing of breath – as he pressed his forehead to hers.

“What?” he pressed, and she found herself laughing.

“It’s just…no wonder you tried to attack poor Ivan,” she laughed, and he snorted before tipping her chin up to claim another kiss.

“He was holding what is mine,” he said, making her laugh again. He pulled her back in for another kiss, deeper and eager and possessive. She gasped as she felt his tail curling around her, as if he could claim her more than he already had. She tugged on his hair as her arm tightened around him, and he pulled her closer to him. As if she wasn’t already close enough and could never be close enough. He ended the kiss with a gentle bite to her lip, peppering a few scattered kisses down her throat before his head came back to rest on her chest.

“Ssssso…ssssso there are no more _missssunderstandings_ ,” he continued after a moment. His voice was drowsy again, and she wondered if he was going to go back to sleep. She had hoped he would stay up with her a while, but she couldn’t deny that he had…well. Exhausted her. “I asssssk again, Marinette. _Why would I leave?_ ”

“You wouldn’t,” she said, tightening her hold on him and resting her head on his shoulder. “You’re going to stay right here, with me. Your _mate_. For as long… _forever._ ”

“I love you,” he whispered, and a thrill raced through her. It wasn’t the first time he had said those words, but in a way – with her newfound understanding – it certainly felt like it was.

Her hand cupped the back of his head, her arm holding him tight as she pressed her face against his skin. The urge to cry had suddenly come over her, but she couldn’t understand why. She was _happy_ – ridiculously so. And Luka…

Luka was her mate.

Luka loved her.

“Me, too,” she finally said, pressing her lips to his shoulder and lingering. “I love you, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> …I don’t know if anyone actually noticed this, but I did and bc it’s me…I actually have a linguistic formula for figuring out what is hissed/not when Luka talks, and teeeechnically when Luka says ‘sex’ it should be ‘sssexxx’, but as that looks like a bad adult bookstore I just had him say ‘sssex’. (And again: I don’t know if anyone else – except those who’ve already heard me whine about it – noticed, but I did, dammit. xD)


	3. Vengeance Interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winter is dragging. Thank the gods Marinette has a little revenge plot to occupy her time. She never did thank Rose for the tea…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This part wasn’t supposed to happen. It was just going to be a little reference in P3 – a few lines, a paragraph TOPS. But then Bloods posted some adorable witch hats, and one of them screamed Rose, and Plunnies Were Hatched, and now here we are. Let’s call this an Interlude. xD A silly, cracky interlude.

Marinette pulled the thread tight to secure it, murmuring the last bit of enchantment into place as she snipped the thread.She held the hat out in front of her and pursed her lips, considering her work.

It was a thing of beauty, really.It was almost enough to make her feel guilty for its intended purpose. _Almost_.Lush velvet of the deepest violet – a violet that matched her sister’s scales perfectly, she knew – shone in the afternoon light.A gauzy, sheer pink ribbon wound around the pointed tip, and ruffles made of the same ribbon puffed up along the sweeping brim.Winter roses, enchanted to never wither and cut at the peak of their beauty, of the palest pinks and lavenders were scattered throughout the frills at the front, sewn in for her other sister’s namesake.

…if not for the amative charms woven into every stitch, it would have been a beautiful gift for her dear Rose.

She grinned, running her fingers delicately over the silken petals of one of the larger roses.The enchantments on the hat were strong – her magic was strong – but she hoped Rose would be too distracted by its beauty to notice.

She heard a slithering behind her, just before a pair of cool arms wrapped around her middle.Luka rested his chin on her shoulder, peering down at the hat.

“Is that it?” he asked, voice low and rough with sleep.She wondered how long he had been up.When she had last checked on him, maybe an hour ago, he’d still been curled up in their nest.She hummed when he kissed her neck.She wiggled in his arms, turning slightly as she put the hat on her head.

“What do you think?” she asked, grinning cheekily at him.

…it was the fastest he’d moved all season.

Her breath left her in a whoosh as she was suddenly thrown onto her worktable, the enchanted hat tumbling from her head as Luka sealed his mouth to hers, his hands clasping her own to pin her arms above her head.A gasping laugh bubbled from her lips as he tore his mouth from hers, his tongue dragging along her neck before swirling around her high collar, nipping in displeasure at her concealed skin.A hand moved down her arm, claws lightly dragging as they went before they hooked under her collar and pulled.

“L-Luka!” she yelped, his claws easily tearing through her dress to reveal her breasts.He hissed as he bent his head to her chest, tongue swirling around her nipple before he closed his lips around the bud and sucked.“Luka!”

She dug her knee into his hip, but that only made him rut against her.He still had one of her hands pinned above them, but she took the other and grabbed onto his hair, tugging sharply to catch his attention.He groaned as he lifted his head from her chest, blinking stupidly at her as he finally looked at her face.His pupils were blown wide, his blue eyes dark and drugged with desire.

She swallowed, suddenly unsure why she had made him stop in the first place.He blinked a few times, his expression clearing and melting into one of horror.

Ah.That was why.

“M-Marinette,” he gasped, his eyes darting from her face to her torn clothes.He looked around, seemingly only just realizing where they were – what he had done.“Oh gods, I am ssssso sssssssorry, Marinette!I –”

“Ssshhh,” she called, lifting a hand to cup his cheek and turn his face back to her.She leaned up as best she could, which wasn’t very, and slipped her hand to the back of his head to pull his mouth to hers.She kissed him slowly, deeply, and pressed herself against him when his arm slipped around her back and held her.When she finally laid back against the table, her eyes were dancing in a mischievous sort of glee at the glazed expression on his face.“I guess we know the hat works.”

“…Juleka is going to kill ussssss,” he moaned, pressing his face into the crook of her neck.She giggled and combed her fingers through his hair.

“Juleka is going to _thank_ us,” she said.“Rose will, too.Once Juleka’s wrecked her.”

“I know that is the goal of the gift, but please don’t refer to my ssssisssster _wrecking_ anyone,” he groaned.She nudged him with her shoulder, and he lifted his head just enough to catch her eye.

“…you can go back to wrecking me,” she said, making him hiss in a breath.

Of course, both had neglected to remember that the gift (which was specially crafted as a form of payback for Rose’s _generous_ Sex Tea gift) was ultimately intended for Rose (even if Juleka would be benefiting from it, too).And that Rose was not a nagi.Rose, bless her meddling heart, was a fae.A damn fae.A stupid, damn, meddling, always-knows-when-she’s-being-spoken-about, doesn’t-bother-to-call-ahead-first fae.

Which was _exactly_ how Rose caught Luka with Marinette’s legs draped over his shoulders, his face pressed tight to her slit as his tongue curled deep inside her.Marinette, who was still spread out on her work table (the hat that had started the whole mess had rolled onto the floor at some point), was understandably a little… _distracted_ , and hadn’t felt the change in magics as her dear sister transported herself to their home.Neither had noticed her, actually, until she was hovering over Luka’s shoulders, her clear blue eyes narrowed as she watched him… _work_.

“No, no, no, Luka, if you put your hand _here_ and lift her like so, you can – eep!” Rose squealed, leaping back as Luka rounded on her in an impressive show of fangs and claws (considering it was still winter and he was working at half-speed, his hair was sticking up at all angles, and his face was covered in… _well_ ).Rose gawked at him, her arm held tightly to her chest as her hand covered the nasty red scratches he had managed to land before she had escaped.It was her own fault, really, for trying to actually _touch_ Marinette and demonstrate what she meant to her brother.For a moment she had forgotten how _weird_ the snakefolk were about their mates.(Possessive, protective, defensive…the fae were much more _generous_.)

“What.The. _Fuck_ ,” Luka hissed, his chest heaving as he glared at his sister’s mate.He heard Marinette shifting behind him, heard the rustle of fabric as she attempted to make herself as presentable as she could (considering the top half of her dress was still torn).

“Well, I didn’t know!” Rose huffed, throwing her arms up in exasperation.“You were talking about me – I thought I was needed!I didn’t know you were in the middle of your midday meal!”

Marinette choked on a laugh, and despite his irritation Luka tried not to smile.He didn’t want Rose thinking her popping in unannounced was in any way ok, after all.Smiling or laughing at her quip would just make her think popping in like this was perfectly acceptable.He felt Marinette’s hand on his shoulder, and he turned to her.She guided his face closer and lifted a corner of her skirt to wipe his mouth.His eyes darted to her chest, but the fabric was already mended.He tried not to be too upset about that.Satisfied that his face was as clean as she could get it, she kissed his cheek and patted her fingers along his shoulder to signal he could move away.When they looked back at Rose, she was smirking at them.

“So my gift worked, then?” she asked innocently, rubbing at the scratches on her arm.

“Here, let me clean that,” Marinette said, ignoring her question and hopping down from the table.Rose tutted and waved her off.

“Please, Juleka’s done worse,” she said, and Luka hissed out a _grosssss_ as he winced.Her head tilted to the side as she considered them.“Why _were_ you talking about me, anyway?”

“We –” Luka started, but Marinette spun away from him to retrieve the hat.

“We were talking about your gift, actually!Not you!Not _just_ you!” she said, a little too quickly and a little too cheerfully.His eyebrows rose as he watched her, trying to hide his smirk lest he give everything away.Marinette bent to retrieve the hat, and just seeing her hold it (seeing her bent over, seeing the curve of her ass beneath her simple woolen dress) was enough to make him want to pounce again.“You were right, dear sister!I _was_ lonely, and the tea was ever so helpful in getting me to actually discuss said loneliness with Luka, and I was ever so grateful that I simply _had_ to return the favor, and –”

“Marinette,” he hissed softly, and she winced as she realized she was rambling – and probably laying it on too thick in the process.She nodded in thanks and held the hat out to Rose, whose eyes had blown wide at the sight of such a beautiful creation.

“This is for you, Rose,” Marinette said.Rose took the hat with a squeal of delight, immediately placing it on her head and rushing to the mirror.Luka kept his eyes firmly locked on his own mate, and her eyes stayed locked on him, and they shared a knowing little smile as Rose raved over her new hat.“It’s enchanted for good luck and sunny days, so Juleka can hopefully be more… _active_ while winter drags on.”

Luka snickered at her choice of words, but Rose was too loud to hear him.Marinette lightly slapped his arm, smiling as his tail curled around her ankle.

“Oh, I _love_ it!” Rose cried.“It’s so beautiful, Marinette!Thank you so much!I cannot wait to show Juleka – she’s going to _flip!_ ”

Luka’s snicker became a soft hiss, and Marinette stepped on his tail to get him to stop.

Rose left shortly after, still hyper over her gift but understanding that she had interrupted something her dear family most likely was eager to get back to.She blew them both kisses (if they still wouldn’t look directly at her, she assumed it was their prudish sensibilities still embarrassed at being caught in such a state) and vanished with a pop, disappearing as quickly as she’d come.Once she was gone, Luka turned heatedeyes back to Marinette.

“Well, that was…excccciting,” he chuckled.His eyes widened as she pulled her dress over her head, tossing it to the floor.

“I believe you have a job to finish, love,” she said.

He at least had the decency to carry her to their nest that time.

(Her back thanked him for it in the morning.)

– V –

As for Rose, she had popped straight back to the room she’d left Juleka in, preening like a damned peacock as she modeled her hat.Juleka had lifted her sleepy head and had barely looked at her mate before she was dropping the book she’d been reading and tackling her to the ground.

Rose sent a note before her next visit, giving Marinette and Luka plenty of time to make themselves _presentable_.Marinette only laughed when Rose deposited the bundle of torn fabric onto her worktable, bemoaning the loss of her favorite dress and demanding Marinette _work her magic_ to fix it.

“By the way,” Rose said a short while later, as Marinette sewed and Luka slumbered behind the curtain.Marinette raised a brow at her, and Rose grinned at her over her tea (a normal blend, one whose only magic was the tannins released by steeping leaves in hot water).“Juleka thought the hat was _very_ clever.She thinks you should craft some underthings with the same charm.Really make Luka suffer.”

Marinette squeaked as she absently stabbed her thumb with her needle, her eyes wide and face flaming as she gawked at her sister.Rose’s laugh was almost loud enough to wake Luka.

_ Almost. _


	4. Part Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winter is finally over, and Marinette just wants to enjoy a nice day in the sun with her mate. Luka isn’t opposed to the idea – if people would just stop knocking on the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This…I don’t entirely know what this is (late – it’s LATE). xD It kinda got sidetracked with Life and Other Projects, and I’m sorry about that. It’s also not what I was initially intending for this ch, but I like where it ended up? Another HUGE thankyou to the lovelies at LBSC, because the first draft of this got Real Dark Real Fast and they talked me off a Big Ledge. This was just supposed to be Silly Springtime River Sex, but they never actually make it to the river? That might end up as an interlude down the road, but as-is this feels complete, and adding the river scene just feels like gratuitous smut by this point? (And there’s nothing wrong with that, but it doesn’t feel like it fits with the chapter anymore. I have a few more oneshots/interludes planned for this ‘verse, and it might pop up there. But for now, I’m calling this one.

Marinette smiled and stretched, her arms lifting high above her head. She wiggled her toes, tickling them against the patch of scales just beneath, and giggled when Luka grumbled and shifted in his sleep. She flopped her head against her arm, her expression softening as she took in his sleeping face.

…she missed him during the winter. She did. But she couldn’t deny she loved how he looked when he slept. She loved how he looked all the time, but there was a peacefulness that came over him during sleep she was particularly fond of. She leaned up to lay a gentle kiss against his cheek, and he grumbled again as he reached for her.

It would have been easy to stay there, wrapped in his embrace and sleeping the day away, but the sun shining through the crack in the curtains let her know the day was already getting long. There were still a few spells she had to finish up, and she’d been hoping…

…the weather had been wonderful all week, every day warmer and sunnier than the last. She had been hoping to sneak away to the river. She was sure the water was still cold, but after an entire winter indoors she was looking forward to a proper bath in the clear, running water. And if Luka was up to joining her, well…that was just a bonus.

“It’ssss too early for you to be thisssss awake,” he murmured, his eyes still closed but a little smile on his lips. She tipped his head up from where it was nestled on her chest and bent down to kiss him. He groaned when she bit at his lip, licking the spot as she pulled away. “No fair. Ssssstill sssssleepy.”

“You’re always sleepy,” she giggled. She pecked a kiss against his nose and squirmed, wriggling out of his hold – or trying to. He grumbled again and tightened his grip on her waist, his tail curling around her legs. “Luka! Some of us do have work to get done today. We can’t all spend the day sleeping in the nest.”

“Mmmm,” he hummed, snuggling closer. “We sssssshould. That sssounds wonderful.”

“You know what sounds wonderful?” she asked, squirming again so that she was better facing him. His eyes were still closed, but he hummed again to acknowledge that he’d heard her. She leaned up and kissed his cheek. “The weather has been so nice this week. If you’re up to it later, I wanted to go to the river.”

His eyes opened just enough to peer at her, a slow smile curling his lips. She leaned back up to press another kiss to them, and when she pulled away his eyes were closed again. He tried to pull her just a little closer, and for the moment she let him.

“Maybe,” he sighed. She kissed just above his heart, nuzzling her face against his skin. She smiled when he squeezed her.

“You could sleep in the sun instead of here,” she wheedled. He whined a little, and she giggled before kissing his chest again. “Think about it. I have a few spells getting picked up today, but afterwards I’d like to go. I’ll check on you before I leave?”

“Don’t…” he whined again, but she had already extricated herself from his hold and was climbing out of the nest. She looked back over her shoulder at him, giggling when she saw one eye cracked open and following her with that lazy smile still on his face. She blew him a kiss and wiggled her bare ass at him, and she closed the curtain to the sound of him hissing after her.

It wasn’t quite as late as Marinette had feared. She moved about the small kitchen, setting a kettle on the stove to prepare some tea. She slipped back behind the curtain to dress, but Luka was already asleep again. He shifted slightly when she dropped a kiss against his head, but he did not wake. An hour later found her sitting at the table with a cup of tea, halfway through her second piece of bread and reading through a letter from Rose she hadn’t gotten to the day before.

Apparently, Juleka’s brumation had ended the week prior. They had a surprise and wanted to come for a visit.

She laughed when Luka’s arms snuck around her middle, his lips pressing against her shoulder. She hadn’t heard him approach.

“Are you awake now?” she asked, reaching up to thread her fingers in his hair. He hummed, kissing her again.

“Whatever you made ssssmells ssssso good,” he murmured, his words slurring a bit worse than usual with how he didn’t want to remove his lips from her skin. “Love, I’m ssssstarving.”

She smiled, her heart stuttering a bit excitedly. She could feel his lips stretching with a smile and knew he had felt it.

“I had a feeling I should’ve made more eggs,” she giggled. She nudged him back and stood, and he immediately pulled her into his embrace. He kissed her deeply, and she laughed again as she pushed him back. “Luka! Let me make you something to eat!”

“I found sssomething to eat,” he insisted, pulling her closer. She rolled her eyes as he tried to kiss her again, but she just smacked a kiss against his cheek and ducked out of his arms. He whined when she smacked the back of his tail – where his ass would be, if he had legs like her – and headed towards the kitchen. “Marinette!”

“You’re always so damn horny when you wake up,” she tutted. She heard movement by the table before he slithered after her. He met her at the sink, her empty cup and plate in his hands. He was grinning down at her.

“With a mate as beautiful as mine, can you blame me?” he asked, his voice soft and low. She tutted and took the dishes from him, putting them in the sink. He tried to reach for her again, but she danced out of his arms. He whined again and slunk back against the counter. He almost looked like he was _pouting_.

“I can’t blame you, but I can remind you your mate wants to spend the afternoon by the river,” she said. She reached around him to grab the basket of eggs, pausing to kiss him before she returned to the stove. “And I fully plan on exhausting you later, so you should eat something that will actually sustain you.”

“You do sssussstain me,” he argued. She shot him a look when his tail started winding around her ankle. There was a knock on the cottage door before she could say anything else, and he groaned when she smirked at him.

“Go answer it,” she said. “I told you I have some villagers stopping by this morning. I’ll get this started.”

“I don’t want to ansssswer the door,” he sulked. His hand was reaching for her again, and she swatted it away. “You have been torturing me all winter. I want –”

“Later!” she tutted, but he smiled when he saw her cheeks were pinking.

Luka opened the door as the knocking began again, and it took his winter-dimmed eyes a moment to adjust to the bright sunlight streaming in around the hulking form standing on the other side. He squinted, pulling back slightly as his eyes adjusted. It took him a moment to recognize Ivan beaming at him.

“Luka!” the young blacksmith cried, immediately pulling him into a hug. He clapped a large hand against his back three times before pulling away. “I didn’t expect to see you awake! Though I suppose it is finally getting warmer, huh? Is your hibernation over now?”

“Brumatiiion,” Luka corrected softly, straightening to stretch his spine. He beckoned Ivan inside, moving away from the door and the bright morning sun. “I jusssst woke up, truthfully. Ssssorry. My eyes sssstill haven’t adjussssted.”

“Good morning, Ivan!” Marinette called as she walked up, a bowlful of eggs she was busy whisking in her arms. She leaned up and kissed Luka’s cheek before handing him the bowl. “Here. Mix these up for me so I can get Ivan his spell.” Luka tried to pout again, but she just thwapped his shoulder before turning back to Ivan. “He hasn’t eaten yet, and he’s cranky. How have you been, Ivan?”

“I’ve been wonderful, Marinette,” he said, his cheeks dusting a faint pink. Luka glanced at Marinette as Ivan reached up to rub the back of his neck, and they shared a knowing smile. “Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that. Mylène has agreed to marry me.”

“What?” Marinette gasped, dropping the parcel that contained his spell back on the table as she rounded on him. Luka’s smile grew, but he wasn’t nearly as surprised as Marinette. Anyone who saw the two together would have seen mating – _marriage_ – as the inevitable conclusion. “When? I mean, of _course_ she did, but – oh, Ivan, I’m so happy for you!”

Ivan laughed as she launched herself at him, hugging him tight. Luka chuckled when Ivan glanced at him for the barest of moments before returning the hug, and he turned his attention back to whisking his eggs. He nodded at Ivan, still smiling when Ivan returned her hug in earnest – even lifting her to spin in a dizzying circle. The delighted laughter filling the cottage warmed Luka’s heart more than any lazy afternoon in the sun.

“Congratulatiiiions,” he said, nodding at Ivan. “When is the wedding?”

“Oh, yes, when? You must send Mylène to speak with me – I would love to help with her dress, or any way I can!” Marinette cried. Ivan laughed as he put her down, reaching back to rub his neck again.

“She’s already asked me to see if she could. She loved what you did with Aurore’s veil last summer, and she was hoping you could help with hers,” he said. He looked at Luka, nodding. “The ceremony will be before the end of summer – I hope you’ll both attend?”

“Will you have a home ready in time?” Luka asked, tilting his head to the side. A shadow briefly passed over Ivan’s face, darkening his mood.

“The winter was not kind to my father, I’m afraid,” he said after a moment. “We will be living with him, and I will be inheriting the forge. We…we’re not sure how long he has left, I’m afraid, and we both want him to see us wed before…” He trailed off, the inevitable remaining unspoken but known in the air between them. The blacksmith’s health had been ailing for a while now, since before Marinette had moved to the outskirts of the village. Her spells and salves had done much to ease his comfort, but there was only so much her magic could do. “We’re kind of rushing things a bit because of his health.”

Marinette hugged him again, holding him tight.

“I’m so sorry, Ivan,” she soothed. “Of course we’ll be there. Send Mylène at her earliest convenience. I could perhaps stop by to see your father as well? I have some teas and remedies that might help, or at the least ease some of his pain.”

“Thank you, Marinette,” Ivan said. She nodded and reached for his spell, handing it to him. “I don’t know what our village would do without you.”

“Oh, hush,” she said, waving him off. “Now. I shall see you soon, but I have a hungry snake to tend to.”

Luka stuck his tongue out at her, and Ivan laughed when it flickered a moment before he sucked it back in. He bid them a good day, and then he was gone with a promise to send Mylène in the next few days. When the door was closed, Marinette turned to Luka with a squeal and bounce that reminded him entirely too much of Rose. She skipped over to him and took the bowl, leaning up to kiss his cheek before she continued her little dance towards the stove.

“It’s so exciting!” she said, reaching to grab some herbs she had been keeping in the little window above the sink. He came up behind her, his arms finding their way back around her waist as his chin returned to her shoulder. She leaned back against him as she tore the herbs into his eggs. “I had a feeling he’d ask before summer. I’m so happy for them.”

Luka was, too. Ivan had become a good friend in the past year and a half, and Mylène was a sweet, quiet girl. They made a charming couple, and he saw many years of happiness in their future. The problem was that, at that particular moment, Luka wasn’t too concerned with their future happiness. He was much more preoccupied with his own present happiness, who was still trying to slip out of his arms so she could cook his breakfast. Which was wonderful, and he was grateful that she was looking out for him – he was – except…he still wasn’t terribly concerned with breakfast. At least not the kind that needed cooking.

“If I burn myself –” she huffed when he began nuzzling his head against the back of her shoulder. His tongue darted out, scenting her, and she shivered against him. “ _Luka_.”

She put the skillet back on the stove and turned in his arms, reaching up to pull his face towards her. He scooped her up, depositing her on the counter and running his hands along her thighs, pushing the skirt of her dress up. She groaned into the kiss, and he chuckled as his hands slipped under her dress and around her hips, cupping her ass and tugging her against him.

“You…you said smelling the eggs woke you up,” she huffed as his mouth began moving down her jaw, along her neck. Her hand fisted in his hair, pulling a little. “That you were _starving_.”

“Eggs can wait,” he said. He was cupping her breast, rolling his thumb over her nipple. The dress she’d chosen that morning was thin – the days were getting too warm for her thicker winter dresses – and he could feel the bud pebbling under his touch. “I want _you_.”

“Incorrigible,” she laughed a little breathlessly. “Always so damn horny.”

“Only for you,” he said, nipping at her skin. His claws pricked against her ass, and she jumped against him. “Please, Mousssinette? Breakfassst can wait.”

She squirmed against him, her head dropping to his shoulder as his hand slid along her skin, moving closer to where she was pressed against him. She could feel the ridges of his underbelly, the bulge in his sheath growing with every passing moment. His teeth grazed her skin, making her jump and press closer.

“A-all ri-” she started, but another booming knock on the door had him hissing and clenching his hands on her thighs. She jumped when his claws pricked her, and he mumbled an apology before nuzzling her neck.

“We’re not home,” he grumbled.

“Where else would we be?” she asked with another breathless laugh. His mouth crashed on hers, and she whimpered as he rocked against her.

“The river,” he said lowly. “Like you wanted. It’ssss too nicccce to sssstay insssside.”

The knocking continued, and she sighed.

“Except the fire’s still going and it’s obvious we’re here now,” she said. She kissed his cheek and pushed him back. “I told you I had customers coming today. Make your breakfast, and when the last spell’s gone we’ll go.”

The knocking got louder, and the end of Luka’s tail smacked into the floor in agitation.

“Ssshe’s coming!” he snapped, and she slapped a hand over her mouth to cover her laugh as she hopped off the counter.

“She’s really not,” she snickered, and he groaned as she moved past him, adjusting her dress. His tail flicked against her ass before she got too far, and she shot him a warning look before heading towards the door. Luka turned back towards the stove, lighting the fire under the skillet and smiling despite his frustration.

Marinette was right, of course. She usually was. He did need to eat, and it wouldn’t do to get too wrapped up in each other when she was still expecting people. The last thing he wanted was to be…interrupted again. His lips twitched when he heard her opening the door. He kept his back to their guest, fully aware he was less than decent.

“Kim! Good morning!” Marinette greeted, her voice a little higher than it normally was. He had to smirk at that. “Come in, come in – I have your charm over here. I hope you’re well?”

“Fabulous, Marinette!” the tall, dark-haired man crowed as he entered the cottage. “Yo, Luka! Good to see you awake!”

Luka looked over his shoulder and waved in greeting before turning back to his eggs. He stirred the pan a bit as they continued talking. Kim was a nice enough man, but he had always been a little _loud_ for Luka’s tastes. Even now he was busy bragging to Marinette about how it wasn’t even noon and he’d already done fifty laps in the large pond on his farm, and that was on top of his usual chores. Marinette asked him how the water was, saying that she had been thinking of going to the river later.

“Still cold,” Kim said, “but the day’s warm enough and you’ll adjust. It’s not mid-summer yet, but it’s better than mid-winter!”

Luka rolled his eyes and reached for a plate. The bread had smelled good, too. He knew he shouldn’t eat too much this soon out of the brumation, but he found himself buttering a slice of bread before dropping that in the pan, too. Kim was still blathering on behind him, but Marinette’s laughter was a balm for his agitation. He was scooping his food onto the plate when he heard the door close. A moment later, Marinette was pressing into his back, her arms wrapping around him.

“I love Kim,” she sighed, “but I don’t know how Ondine lives with him.”

“Did he even ssstop to breathe?” Luka chuckled. Marinette looked up at him with a grin.

“Only when I got to say something,” she teased. She tugged on his middle, nodding towards the table. “Go sit. I want another cup of tea – would you like one?”

“That would be wonderful,” he said, kissing her cheek as he picked up his plate. They moved around each other with an ease of familiarity that spoke of their time together. Marinette easily side-stepped his tail instead of tripping over it (like she had many times in the early days, much to his concern and amusement), and Luka easily moved out of her way when she reached for the kettle. Before he had reached the table, he saw her reaching into the cabinet for an extra cup, and his tail curled around her middle to hoist her up. To help, and maybe only a little because he couldn’t stop touching her. Her laughter rang out in the small room, and he smiled as one of her hands stroked his scales. When he set her back down she turned to him and blew him a kiss.

She was joining him a moment later, two cups of steaming tea in her hands. He had moved her chair back to coil by the table, and once her hands were free he was tugging her onto his lap. He had just started kissing her – her hand had just rested on his stomach, had just started sliding towards his scales – when there was _another_ knock on the door.

“Last one,” she whispered against his lips when he groaned. “Finish up so we can leave.”

“I don’t want to leave,” he insisted. “I want you.”

“Have me at the river,” she teased, nipping at his ear before she stood. “I want to swim, and I want to sunbathe, and I want my mate to fuck me –”

“Marinette!” he hissed, and she was cackling as she raced towards the door. He groaned and pushed his plate away so he could slump against the table. A moment later the door was opened again, but he didn’t have time to hear who she was greeting before a high-pitched squeal rang out in the cottage.

“LUKAAAAA!!!!”

Luka grunted as a small body tackled into him, knocking him back on the ground. The table rattled as his tail thwacked into it, and the voice of Mme. Chamack rang out in a sharp reprimand.

“Manon, sweetie, careful!” Nadja called as she walked over with Marinette. Luka chuckled as he held the child, but any reassurance that he was fine caught in his throat when he saw the look Marinette was giving him. There was something soft and longing about her expression, and it made his heart skip pleasantly. “Luka, I am so sorry. She’s had so much energy and no way to run it off all winter, and now she’s going a little mad with it.”

“Am not! I’m just excited to see Luka up!” Manon argued. Her little hands tugged on his upper arm, and when she grinned up at him he noticed she was missing a few teeth. “Luka! Can you pick me up, Luka? Please?”

“Manon, he’s not a dog to do tricks any time you ask!” Nadja huffed. Luka chuckled and went to answer, but Marinette was already scooping Manon up. She gave a pointed look to his lap, and he felt his face warming as he shifted and sunk into his coils.

“Maybe next time, sweetie,” Marinette said, placing the child on her hip. Luka felt his heart stutter again at the sight. There was something…pleasant about it.

…it was too easy to imagine Manon with darker hair and lighter eyes, patches of teal scales speckling along her skin.

“I am so sorry about her, Marinette,” Nadja was saying again. “My husband was busy in the field, and my mother still hasn’t recovered from her cold. I had no one to watch her, and –”

“It’s fine, Nadja, honest,” Marinette said. Manon squirmed in her arms, and she giggled as Marinette tapped her nose. “Luka’s still waking up, sweetie. He hasn’t even had his breakfast yet – let him eat before you demand a playdate.”

“Aww…Luka, will you play with me next time?” Manon wheedled, looking over Marinette’s shoulder at him.

“Of courssse, Manon,” he said, and she giggled at his hiss. He pulled his plate back to him as Marinette and Nadja began discussing the potion she was picking up, and a moment later Manon was on the ground and tackling him again. He chuckled and wrapped an arm around her to return the hug, but she was already racing back towards her mother and calling her farewells as they left.

Marinette was in his lap a moment later, her arms looped around his neck and giggling into his chest.

“That child is a forccce of nature,” he said. She pressed her face into his chest, still laughing. “Marinette.”

“She adores you,” Marinette giggled. Luka sighed and picked at what was left of his eggs. They were cold. He hadn’t even touched his toast, but he was sure it was cold, too.

“Sssometimes I misssss the days when the villagers feared me,” he sighed dramatically. "Ssssso much more peacccceful. My eggs were never cold back then.”

“Your eggs were raw,” she teased, cupping his face in her hands and kissing his jaw. She shifted in his lap, throwing a leg over his tail and sliding down to straddle him. He put his fork down, no longer interested in the cold eggs as Marinette settled over him. “That was my last customer, Luka.”

“Marinette…” he breathed, his arms wrapping around her to pull her closer. Her voice was honey, dripping over her words with an unspoken promise. He could feel her, her warmth burning against his skin and scales. Gods, he wanted her. He’d wanted her all winter, since he’d first woken up to find her lost in a lust-drunk haze as she touched herself to thoughts of him. He always wanted her, but the winter had been harder this time around now that he actually had her. Now that they’d mated.

He supposed it would have been easier if she were a nagi in that respect. If she had been brumating herself, they both would have been too tired to notice the… _biological urges_ , as Rose would say. But if she was a nagi she wouldn’t be Marinette, and he loved Marinette.

“Are you done eating, Luka?” she asked, peppering little kisses along his jaw. He hissed as one of her hands slid to his sheath, her fingers teasing along his slit. “Could you make it to the river, love?”

The way she giggled let him know she didn’t think he could. Truthfully, he was ready to take her on the table now.

“I need you,” he sighed, his hands running along her thighs beneath her dress.

“Then take me,” she whispered by his ear, rocking against him as her fingers dipped into his slit. “You’re so wet already.”

She gasped as his finger slipped along her folds, dipping in just enough to gather her own slickness. She hadn’t even noticed his hand move from her thigh.

“Ssso are you,” he teased. Her face pressed against his neck, a needy little sound escaping her as he continued to stroke her. Her hand pressed flat against him, her fingers brushing against the head of one of his cocks before they curled around the lip of his slit, pulling it back just enough that the tip of a cock could slip out. He hissed when her palm rocked against him. “Marinette…”

“I’ve missed this,” she giggled, wrapping her fingers around him and stroking as the rest of him slipped out. She bit at his shoulder, giggling some more when she reached for the other one. “And this. As talented as your mouth and hands are, I’ve missed you inside me, Luka.”

“I’ve missssed being inssside you,” he said. She was giggling again, and he smiled against her shoulder. He loved her laugh. He could spend forever listening to that laugh. He grasped the hem of her dress and pulled away, grinning up at her. “That was your lasssst cussstomer?”

“I’m not expecting anyone for another day or so,” she said. “I’m all yours, love.”

He lifted her dress over her head, only a little sorry that she had to stop touching him to do so. Her arm dropped to his shoulders, her fingers playing with the hair covering his neck – he needed a haircut, but that was something he’d worry about later. Her other hand had found him again, wrapping around the harder cock and resuming her steady pumps.

“When you sssaid _cussstomers_ , I wasn’t exxxpecting…ah…Manon to…Mari…” he groaned, turning his face to bite the side of her breast. She gasped, and his tongue immediately darted out to run over the mark. “I-I’m not…”

“Can I tell you something, Luka?” she whispered, her nose nudging his ear. She nipped at the lobe, stroking him slower and brushing her thumb over his tip at the upsweep. He whimpered, and she kissed his neck, just below his ear. “Seeing you with Manon…you’re so good with her, love.”

He was having trouble focusing on her words. Why was she still talking about Manon? He didn’t want to think about the village children right then. He was much more interested in the tightening feeling in his stomach, the way her hand was sliding along him, how her lips were brushing against his neck…

“I know we haven’t really talked about a family. I don’t even know…but you look really good with kids, Luka,” she said, squeezing him lightly. He gasped, bucking into her hand, and she giggled as she continued kissing his neck. “So good…do you think you could put a baby in me, Luka?”

…he wasn’t sure, honestly, but he’d be willing to try.

“Ma-Marinette…” he panted. Her hand left him, and he whined when she tried to stand. He pulled her back to him, settling her over him and hissing as his cock rubbed along her underwear.

“I need to get my underwear off for the next part,” she laughed, dropping a kiss on his nose when he looked up at her. He reached between them, pulling her underwear aside and thrusting into her in one rough motion. She gasped, her head dropping against his own at the sudden penetration. “O-or not…oh gods…”

“You want a baby?” he asked, pulling back slowly enough to make her whine. He rocked back towards her, and the whine became a whimper.

“I-it’s a thou…ought…” she gasped, clutching at him as he moved beneath her. He wasn’t going to last much longer, and he had a feeling she wouldn’t, either. He could already feel her walls spasming around him, gripping down like… “Ung…I want _your_ baby, Luka.”

“ _Our_ baby,” he corrected, emphasizing his point with another thrust.

“Ours,” she sighed. He lifted his head from her chest, one of his hands moving from her hip to her back. He nudged her chin with his nose, and he was kissing her as soon as she turned towards him. She gasped into his mouth as he lifted them, blindly groping at the table to clear it before he set her down, using his momentum to thrust back into her. Her head fell back, but he was chasing after her again, having not yet had his fill of her lips. He wanted more of her. All of her. He wanted…

His thoughts scattered, lost in a dizzying whirl of what was and what could be. Of his mate, his beautiful Marinette, clinging to him as they brought each other closer and closer to a release. Of a Marinette in the future, her belly round with their child – of that child, dark haired and bright eyed and waving at him from her arms. Of many more attempts, much like this one, because he wasn’t stupid. He knew human women, witches like Marinette, were notoriously more fertile than his own kind, but he wasn’t stupid enough to think that dream could become a reality from one mating. But oh, what fun they would have trying, and trying, and _trying_ …

There was a popping noise, or a clattering, but it was nothing to his lust-drunk mind. Something teetering on the edge of the table, finally falling with the force of their mating. Something brushed by his shoulder, but it was chased away by Marinette’s nails dragging along his back, her fingers digging in almost painfully as her orgasm hit her. He hissed as her body locked around him, her legs tightening on his waist, her open mouth pressed above his heart in a silent scream. His arm slipped lower on her hips, under her ass, and pulled her closer as he gave a final thrust, pressing her into the table as he spilled into her. His body spasmed with his release, trembling as his hips jutted against hers. Her hand smoothed along his back, but then the other was slipping between them, where his other cock was pressed between their stomachs. He moaned into her neck as her hand wrapped around him, that cock still twitching and…

“Well, no wonder there be no sssnakeletsss yet, with how ye be going about things!”

…Marinette’s giggle – the beautiful, melodious giggle that had been dancing in his ears – was lost under the unexpected, familiar, very _unwelcome_ booming voice.

Of his _mother._

Marinette had frozen beneath him, her hand suddenly in a vice grip around the cock between them. He wasn’t sure if the hiss he let out was from the pain of her grip or the knowledge that _his mother was behind them_. He forced himself to look over his shoulder, and, sure enough, they were no longer alone.

Anarka stood behind him in all her silver-haired, red-tailed glory, her hands on her bejeweled hips and her stormy eyes glinting mischievously at her son. Beside her, Juleka stood with her red face buried in her hands. Rose stood beside her, arms crossed with an annoyed scowl on her elfin face.

“Not the fucking table again!” Rose groused, and he was pretty sure Juleka muttered something about needing their own _fucking table_ , except Anarka was speaking again, and it was always difficult to hear _anyone_ when Anarka was speaking over them, but especially his quiet sister.

“Lad, ye’ve got ta use _both_ ,” Anarka said, wagging a red-clawed finger at him. “How am I ever ta be a _Granarchy_ if ye’re not putting in yer full effort?”

“Ma,” Juleka snapped. “That’sss not –”

“We should go!” Rose screamed, louder than all of them, when Luka groaned and ducked his face back against Marinette’s shoulder. She was gawking over his, her eyes wide and terrified. He could feel her skin burning, as much from embarrassment as their… _activities_.

Oh, gods.

_He was still inside her._

_And his family was watching them._

“Nonsssenssse!” Anarka boomed, and Luka very much wanted to die. “The lad matesss without even telling his dear old ma, and ye expect me ta jussst _leave_ without meeting the lasssss who pilfered his heart?”

“When the lasssss is naked beneath him, yesssssss!” he shouted. Marinette’s hand smoothed along his back, and he hissed as he held her closer. He couldn’t move beyond that. If he did, even the slightest bit to grab her dress from the floor, he’d be treating his family to even more of a show than they’d already witnessed. He couldn’t do that to Marinette. He _wouldn’t_ do that to Marinette.

“Excccellent! Procccceed! I want bairns, lad, and yer sssissssster and her fae mate aren’t very helpful in that ressspect!” Anarka snapped. Marinette…giggled. She was laughing. It sounded a bit crazed, but that was definitely a laugh floating up to his ears. What was funny about any of this? This was _mortifying_.

“I keep telling you I can steal a baby,” Rose huffed. “It’s not that hard.”

“We don’t need a changeling, love,” Juleka sighed. He could hear Rose shuffling, but he still refused to turn to face them.

“Well, I don’t see another option, since you won’t let me impregnate you!” she snapped. It was an old argument by this point. Rose could alter her physiology, as all fey could, but Juleka didn’t want to carry the snakelets – at least not yet. Juleka was happy as they were, with just them, and wasn’t ready to entertain Anarka’s demands of grandchildren. He heard Juleka hiss, and the three women behind them continued to argue. He hissed softly, pressing his face against Marinette’s neck. Her hand smoothed through his hair. He was relieved to note the other had loosened its grip on his cock, though only slightly. She was still holding him, which…was not helping matters, either.

“I’m ssssso ssssssorry,” he whispered to her. A noise, somewhere between a hiss and a whimper, escaped him when she kissed the back of his neck, her nose brushing along his nape.

“I can’t reach my dress,” she whispered back.

“I can’t put them away,” he told her. She pulled back, enough to look at him, and he smiled helplessly at the shocked look she was giving him. “You’re sssstill touching me, Marinette.”

Her hand squeezed reflexively around his cock, which – despite the sticky evidence of his release smeared between them – was already half-hard again. He kissed her, taking advantage of his family’s distraction, but only briefly.

“I told you I wanted you,” he whispered, and her answering laugh was louder than she’d intended. Loud enough that the arguing behind them stopped. She leaned up, looking over his shoulder again.

“Marinette!” Rose cried before she could say anything. “I’m so sorry! I tried to warn you, but Anarka _insisted_ we had to leave _right then_ , and obviously you were too busy to see my letter – oh look, there it is on the floor – and –”

“Rose!” Marinette called, laughing a little. Her arm tightened around Luka’s shoulders, and he curled tighter around her. The movement pushed himself deeper inside her, and her laugh cut off in a gasp. She cleared her throat, and he felt her face warming again. “Er…can we just…have a few minutes? To…ah…clean up?”

“We’ll be outssssside,” Juleka mumbled, and Luka groaned as he heard the shuffling and slithering behind them. There was a smack against his tail, and from Marinette’s snickering he was pretty sure Juleka had hit him on her way out. The door slammed shut a moment later, and he finally pushed himself off of Marinette. She released his shoulders and fell back on the table, covering her burning face with her hands as she started laughing in earnest. He slid out of her, smiling a little as her breath hitched at the movement.

“Oh my gods,” she said after a moment, and he reached for her wrists to pull her up. When she was sitting on the table before him, he cupped her face in his hands, a clawed thumb brushing beneath her eye. “Luka. What in the seven hells…”

“I am sssso sssssorry,” he said again, and she laughed helplessly before he kissed her again. For a moment, he wished he had Rose’s transportation magic. He wanted nothing more than to just…disappear, with Marinette, and leave his family squabbling outside. “How is ssssshe sssso awake already?”

“She woke up last week,” Marinette said. “Rose sent a letter saying they had a surprise, but…is that…that’s your mother, isn’t it?”

“Perfect timing, as usual,” he quipped. He hissed when she reached between them, and he looked down to find she was trying to push his hemipenes back into his sheath. She was only somewhat successful, as the one was still eager for her attention. He groaned and pulled her against him, hissing as her hand slipped along his cock. “I need you to sssstop touching me. If we want any hope of putting that away, you have to sssstop touching me.”

“…you work on that, then,” she snickered, kissing the underside of his jaw. “I’ll go get a cloth.”

– V –

Marinette had cleaned up faster than Luka had. He was still hiding in their nest, trying his best to calm himself when everything around him smelled of them, when she’d slipped a new dress on and went to make some tea. By the time his family had come back inside, she’d cleared away the breakfast dishes and was standing before the table, holding a tray with a tea service on it. His mother had already taken a seat at the side of the table, but his sister was standing on the other side a bit petulantly, glaring at the offending piece of furniture.

“I am _not_ eating on that table,” Juleka said, and he made a little choking noise that brought their attention to the nest.

“Luka! Lad, ain’t ye decccent _yet?_ ” Anarka called. And he was, mostly, but he still didn’t want to face them. He peeked out of the slit in the curtains to find Marinette glaring at him over her shoulder, and he knew he couldn’t leave her to face them by herself. That wasn’t fair or kind. With a steadying breath, he wrapped a sarong around his waist and slithered out to join them.

“Yesss,” he grumbled, stopping beside Marinette. He didn’t know what was worse: the look of evil glee Rose was giving him, the look of expectant exasperation his mother wore, the look of utter disgust on Juleka’s face, or the relieved way Marinette leaned into his side. His arms immediately found her waist, wrapping around her to pull her closer, and she sighed as she looked back at Juleka.

“Juleka, it’s…fine. I cleaned it,” Marinette huffed. Juleka’s tongue flicked out in agitation.

“Every time I look at that table, all I’ll sssee is my brother _defiling_ you,” she said, and Luka groaned as he pressed his face against Marinette’s shoulder. Juleka hissed when their ma slapped her with her tail. She slithered over to Marinette and took the tray from her.

“Sssstop being ridiculoussss, Juleka,” Anarka said tersely. “Yer fae witch has done worssssse ta ye, I’m ssssure. Thank ye, lassss. Tea would be lovely.”

Luka peeked at his sister over Marinette’s shoulder, and he couldn’t help but smirk at her. She was still scowling.

“You need to burn thissss table,” Juleka groused as she dropped onto her coils beside Rose. “Get a new one. Grosssss.”

“Unfortunately, at the moment it’s the only table we have,” Marinette huffed. Luka tried not to smirk as she squirmed against him. “So we’ll just have to make do.”

“A new table wouldn’t exactly solve the problem, sweetie,” Rose giggled, lying a hand on her mate’s deep violet tail. Luka paused as he moved to sit across from his mother, his eyes narrowing suspiciously at his sister’s mate. “This isn’t the first time I’ve caught them on it, and I doubt it’ll be the last. Your dear brother’s a little kinky.”

“Rose!” the siblings snapped, but Rose just winked at Marinette as she reached for the teapot. Luka yanked Marinette down onto his lap, grumbling as he pressed his burning face against her shoulder. (Which was _dumb_ , because he had _nothing_ to be embarrassed about – they were mated! There was nothing shameful about what they did together or where or… _ugh_.) Rose hesitated a moment before pouring the tea, giving Marinette a suspicious look, and Marinette groaned.

“Their mother is _right there_ , Rose,” she said. “That is perfectly _normal_ tea.”

“Can’t be too careful with you,” Rose hummed. A booming laugh filled the cottage as Rose poured the tea, and Marinette felt her ears start burning as Anarka slapped a hand against her tail, the jeweled chains on her hips rattling with every laugh.

“I like thisss one, b’y!” she cried, grinning wickedly at them. “Ssshe’s got _sssspirit!_ ”

Marinette felt Luka smiling against her shoulder. She reached up to thread her fingers in his hair, smiling as she scratched along his scalp and he kissed her shoulder blade.

“Thank you, Lady Anarka,” Marinette said, but the nagi scoffed and waved her off before accepting the tea Rose handed her.

“Peacccce, lassss,” she hissed. “ _Captain_ be fine. Even _Ma._ ‘Lady Anarka’ be entirely too formal fer me newesssst daughter.”

Marinette felt the blush rising on her cheeks, but she couldn’t stop the smile as Luka squeezed her tight.

“Th-thank you, Captain,” she said, and Anarka let out another booming laugh.

“Gods, do ye always flusssster sssso easy? Sssshe’s cute, Luka,” Anarka laughed. She grinned at them over her tea. “I would have liked ta meet the lassss ssssooner, b’y.”

“I tried to invite you to the wedding,” Luka sighed, finally lifting his head from Marinette’s shoulder to accept the tea Rose passed him. He handed it to Marinette, who snuggled deeper into his lap, and took the second cup she handed him. “We both did. No one could find you, and we weren’t waiting _months_ to track you down.”

“They were already mated, anyway,” Juleka sniffed. She grinned at Luka. “Tell her what you did, Lu. Tell her. _Please_.”

“Sssshut up, Jules,” Luka hissed. Anarka’s gaze darted between the two, confused.

“Luka?” she asked, her voice demanding an answer. Luka rolled his eyes and tightened the arm he’d kept around Marinette. He was a fully grown naga – how was it his mother could still make him feel like a scolded snakelet just by saying his name? “What did ye do, b’y?”

“Nothing,” he grumbled. “We worked it out.”

“It really wasn’t…it was just a minor misunderstanding,” Rose tutted, swatting at Juleka and hissing at her to _behave_. “Mari wasn’t as familiar with naga mating customs as she is now, is all. And it all worked out in the end, so _drop it_ , Juleka.”

Juleka rolled her eyes and took a long sip of her tea. Anarka didn’t seem convinced, but she let it go. For the time being.

“Sssstill,” she said. She leaned forward onto the table, folding her arms and glaring at her son. “A mother wantssss ta be present fer ssssuch things. Yer me oldesssst, Luka. And me only chancccce at bairns, with the rate these two be going.”

“Ma,” Juleka hissed, but Anarka just waved a hand at her. The bangles on her wrist jingled.

“Pah,” she spat, shaking her head. “I want ssssnakeletssss, lassss. Ye ccccertainly not be giving me any.”

“I am ssso ssssorry,” Luka whispered into Marinette’s ear, but she was still smiling. She sipped her tea, ducking her head as her face warmed. She swirled her drink, watching the liquid move in the cup.

“W-we haven’t…ah…we only recently started discussing…that is…” she tried to say, but the words were failing her. A hand fell to her stomach unconsciously, her smile slipping into a frown. “I don’t even know if it’s _possible_ , given…”

“Pah, ‘coursssse it is!” Anarka said, putting her cup down a bit more forcefully than necessary. “What, ye think ye be the firssst human ta mate a naga?”

“I…uh…I…” Marinette stuttered, her eyes going wide as Anarka watched her through narrowed eyes, a positively _evil_ grin curling her lips. She glanced up at Luka as he groaned and ducked his face back against her shoulder. “N-no?”

“Coursssse ye’re not!” Anarka barked, slapping her palm onto the table. “T’won’t be _impossssible_ , jusssst…difficult. Yer kind be more fertile than ours, but t’will sssstill take a few tries. Ye be using both, aye, b’y?”

Luka hadn’t touched his tea since Rose had handed it to him, but Marinette still heard him choke behind her.

“M-Ma!” he cried. Marinette could feel his face burning, and she was fairly sure hers was, too. They were both probably about as red as Anarka’s tail. She froze, her fingers in a death grip around her cup, and stared blankly at Anarka. She was pretty sure she was having an out-of-body experience. Anarka looked completely nonplussed, considering she was Luka’s _mother_ and was giving him… _mating advice_.

“’Tis a fair quessstion, b’y,” she said calmly. “S’why ye be having the two. Nagi be notorioussssly difficult ta breed. Sssso I assssk again: _ye be using both?_ ”

“I am not hearing thissss,” Juleka grumbled, slumping forward and burying her face in her hands. Rose was biting down on her smile, practically vibrating with suppressed laughter.

“Yessss,” Luka muttered into her shoulder, but Anarka didn’t look convinced. Her eyes narrowed.

“ _At the ssssame time?_ ” she pressed, and Marinette started chugging her tea as Luka groaned. Anything to keep herself from looking at the nagi across the table.

“Ss-ssssometimes,” he admitted, his arms tightening around her. Anarka hummed, her eyes dropping to Marinette’s flat stomach. Marinette squirmed, putting her cup back on the table before she broke it. She was _definitely_ having an out-of-body experience.

“…good,” Anarka finally said, reaching for her tea again. “I’m getting no younger, b’y. I expect ta be a _Granarchy_ by next winter.”

“Perhaps we should leave, then,” Rose said cheerfully, though the grin she shot Marinette was positively wicked. “So they can get back to it.”

“Rose!” Marinette snapped, but Anarka was waving her off.

“Time fer that ‘n more later,” she said. Her smile was kinder when she turned back to her new daughter. “Now, lasssss. Tell me more about yerssself. Ssstarting with yer name. Marinette, aye?”

“A…aye,” Marinette said numbly, nodding as Anarka continued to watch her. “I’m M-Ma…” She closed her eyes, wincing as she stammered. She took a deep, steadying breath and tried again, ignoring the smile she felt against her neck. “I’m Marinette.”

“Well, M-Ma-Marinette,” Anarka said, smiling as she held out her hand. She could feel Luka shaking with suppressed laughter behind her, his breath a stuttering hiss against her neck. “Welcome ta th’family.”

– V –

The rest of the afternoon was actually…really nice. Marinette already loved Juleka and Rose, but the Lady Anarka Couffaine was a _character_. It wasn’t long before Marinette was smiling and laughing, perfectly at ease with Anarka’s brazen manner and loud nature. In a weird way, the Captain reminded her of her father: they were both large personalities with warm hearts, and Marinette actually found herself disappointed when Anarka declined her invitation to stay for dinner.

“Peaccce, lassss,” she said softly as Marinette pouted. Her sea glass eyes glanced over to her son, a warm smile curling her lips. Luka was on the other side of the room, having a hushed, heated discussion with his sister, but his gaze kept flicking back to Marinette almost anxiously. “I’ll be ssssure to return, but I don’t think me b’y wantssss ussss ssstaying much longer jussst now.”

Marinette rolled her eyes, and Anarka chuckled before pulling her into a hug.

“I’ll be ssssure ‘n return when he’s more…awake,” she said, winking at her. She called for Juleka and Rose then, and after another round of hugs and farewells their family was gone. With their cottage quiet (and peaceful) once again, Luka heaved a dramatic sigh and dropped into a heap by the empty fireplace. Marinette snickered as she made her way over to him, climbing over his tail to settle against his chest. His arms automatically wrapped around her, pulling her close.

“I love my family,” he said, though he sounded like he was trying to convince himself of the fact. She giggled and dropped a kiss against his chest, above his heart. She smiled when she felt his pulse jump.

“I love your mother,” she giggled. “I don’t love her timing, but I really think I’m going to love your mother.”

“Sssshe likesss you,” he hummed, settling against the bit of tail looped around his back. “I don’t know why I worried ssshe wouldn’t. Everyone loves you.”

“Not everyone,” she said, thinking of the Mayor’s malicious daughter. Or the shifter that had started hanging around her friend Alya.

“Everyone who matters,” he said. “I like you.”

“I’d hope you more than like me,” she teased, and he pulled her into a fierce kiss. A mewling sound escaped her as his tongue flicked against her own. She glanced out the window as he trailed little kisses along her jaw. “There’s still some daylight left out there…”

“No time,” he murmured, his arms slipping lower on her waist. “Days aren’t long enough yet. By the time we got there, the ssssun will have ssssset. Too cold.”

“Tomorrow?” she asked. He’d stopped kissing her, instead holding her against his chest as he settled into his coils. His eyes were drooping, and she smiled as she laid a hand against his cheek. He nuzzled her palm, the gesture pure instinct by this point. “Luka?”

“Tomorrow,” he agreed, tilting his head to kiss the curve of her hand beneath her thumb. “Ssstill sssleepy. Long day.”

“Rest, love,” she said, dropping her hand to wrap her arm around him. She laid her head against his chest and let her eyes close. She wasn’t quite hungry yet, and Luka was very comfortable…


End file.
